A molting question

[Rick589]

I have BO’s currently at about 14 months of age. Now everything I’m reading suggests the first molt would be around 18 months which would put these chickens smack in the middle winter with limited feathering, is this correct. Or am I missing something.

 

[azygous]

Chickens can molt at any time. While the usual trigger to molt is declining length of daylight, stress and diet and state of health can all be factors.

While we can't predict with 100% certainty when your young hens will have their first adult molt, it is more likely to occur in early fall approaching their second year. If they happen to molt in winter, they usually survive with minimal problems.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have BO’s currently at about 14 months of age. Now everything I’m reading suggests the first molt would be around 18 months which would put these chickens smack in the middle winter with limited feathering, is this correct. Or am I missing something.

For profit reasons, commercial laying flocks usually molt at around 18 months. Their climate is controlled, their hours of daylight are controlled. They don't care if it is December or July, all the same to them.

Unless you manipulate the lights, our chickens work on a solar year. The way chickens evolved, hens lay eggs and raise chicks in the good weather months of late spring, summer, and early fall. In fall when food supplies drop they stop laying eggs and raising chicks and molt, replacing worn out feathers with fresh feathers. Then they wait until the good weather months the next spring to start the cycle over.

Through special breeding we've changed some of these details after domesticating them but your chickens will still follow the same basic solar calendar unless you manipulate lighting. It is based on the length of sunlight. Some pullets or cockerels will skip the molt their first fall and winter, some do not skip but go ahead and molt. But regardless of age, after they get through their first winter most should molt when the days get shorter in the fall whether they are 14 months old or 22 months old and every year after. That is not controlled by how old they are but by when the days get shorter.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, you can have them molt in the dead of winter. And yes, some are going to look terrible, like they partied all night and stumbled home with only part of their clothes on. And even if it is 20 below, they do fine.

Some molt hard and fast. You can open the coop and think something was killed, there are feathers everywhere. That bird will have more feathers off of her, than feathers on her. Personally I like this best. I know it is molt, that is what is happening, and they tend to grow new feathers fast! Then they look like they all got new Easter dresses.

Other molt slow, these can be alarming, cause you are kind of guessing; ''is this molt or is something else wrong?' They get patches, the neck, heals up, the breast, heals up the tail, heals up and then one day you realize they are all feathered and pretty again.

But even though it seems terrible, it is a natural situation, and truly does not bother them too much, sometimes they are grouchy, but they are not dying even in pretty cold weather.

Mrs K