Almost 2 years old, hasn't molted in over a year.

[Dogs Cows Chicken]

My Leghorn, Lucy, was 9 months old when I adopted her in September last year. That makes her a January hatch and 21-22 months old (I would typically say almost 2 years old and not sound so much like a weirdo).

In the year+ she's been with me, she's never molted. When should/could I expect that to happen? I know the process isn't comfortable for them, but I would love to see her in a new feather fit. She was vet-treated for depluming mites over a month ago, so her new feathers should be healthy and beautiful. In the meantime, she's surrounded by juveniles with fresh, vibrant feathers, which make hers look extra scraggly.

When can I reasonably expect a molt? Is there a point at which not molting becomes a concern?

 

[azygous]

If it's any consolation, I had a hen, a Cream Legbar/EE mix called Ladybug who waited until summer of her second year to molt for her first time. She was a hatch from my own flock, so I know there were no hidden health issues other than being attacked by a hawk when she was just a few months old. She received no injuries but lost every single feather on her back.

Ladybug did get onto a normal molting schedule in her subsequent years, molting in fall like the others. Whether the hawk attack was coincidental or a cause of her failure to molt, is anyone's guess. Your hen may have been affected by her feather mites or she may just have her own weird molting schedule, to be determined.

 

[Dogs Cows Chicken]

If it's any consolation, I had a hen, a Cream Legbar/EE mix called Ladybug who waited until summer of her second year to molt for her first time. She was a hatch from my own flock, so I know there were no hidden health issues other than being attacked by a hawk when she was just a few months old. She received no injuries but lost every single feather on her back.

Ladybug did get onto a normal molting schedule in her subsequent years, molting in fall like the others. Whether the hawk attack was coincidental or a cause of her failure to molt, is anyone's guess. Your hen may have been affected by her feather mites or she may just have her own weird molting schedule, to be determined.

Nothing like a definitive answer to get the ball rolling!

I'm kidding! Thanks for responding! I have questions (per usual).

This is the fall of Lucy's second year, and she hatched in January (which I assume makes her even further behind a typical schedule?). If she follows in Ladybug's footsteps, it could be any time??? I'm ready for her to be pretty again! I love her so much. She deserves to be pretty.

 

[azygous]

This is Ladybug before starting molt. Your hen will molt, but you won't be able to predict it. I will start a guessing game as to when. I think it could be sometime in January as the days begin lengthening.

 

[Dogs Cows Chicken]

This is Ladybug before starting molt. Your hen will molt, but you won't be able to predict it. I will start a guessing game as to when. I think it could be sometime in January as the days begin lengthening.View attachment 3964856

Lucy before and after feather mites.
January, huh? Boo!!

 

[azygous]

Well, Lucy sure has demonstrated she can grow new feathers. Nothing wrong with her feather factory, assuming the top photo is post feather mites.

Molt can be triggered by a number of different factors, stress, serious illness, diet, changes in the environment, etc. It's just a wild guess, but her bout of feather mites may have substituted as her first molt, and she will now not molt again until a year from now.

I know you don't want to entertain that possibility, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. She has a good long life ahead of her, and she should get on a normal molting schedule next year.

Now, you can force molt. People who show chickens do it regularly to assure their prize winning poultry are all gussied up in a new set of feathers for the show. But it is exceedingly hard on the chicken to do this. I don't recommend putting the sweet Lucy through that, although I certainly understand your desire to see her kitted out in a new outfit for winter.