2 of my 7 Rhode island red hens LOOSING FEATHERS on there neck.. ONLY 7 MONTHS OLD?! Please help!!

[Chickproblems77]

my 7 month old Rhode island red hens are loosing feathers on there neck...i have 1

rooster but i have not got an egg in 1 month and a half??!! My mom and dad want to

get rid of all of them, please help i dont want to kill them...i thought moult but they are

only 7 months old...i am in southern indiana so mild climate but its cooling down.

Food and water are in plenty. for 2 months i had ducks with them but 10 days ago i

removed the ducks because of the stop of production... i spray it out daily...any

suggestions?? PLEASE HELP!!

 

[sourland]

Decreased daylength and a molt are probably the cause of the stop in egg laying. It is a routine occurrence this time of year. 12 to 14 hours of daylight are generally required for optimum egg production. They will resume laying in the spring and such young hens should be daily producers.