Chicken stopped laying, is she molting?

[lillypurrs23]

One of our chickens, stopped laying recently, and now she's losing feathers. Is she molting? This is our first time having chickens, so we don't really know. She just turned 1 last week, but she's the only one who seems to be losing feathers right now. It doesn't look like she's losing feathers (no bald spots or anything) but there are feathers all over the coop and yard and if she shakes or flap-runs, a couple feathers will fall.

 

[top of the hill]

sounds to me like she's moulting... although I am also new to this chicken stuff, I have read up on it alot and it seems that they first moult at about a year, of course there are exceptions, breed etc. which may be why your other girls are not. hopefully someone will be able to give you a little more insight.

This is a pretty good article:

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/217/moulting-a-natural-process

 

[chicmom]

She is just at the right age to molt. They usually have their first full molt during their second autumn. So you're right!

 

[nickie]

Not everyone molts at the same speed or the same time.

 

[lillypurrs23]

Okay, thank you! Also, I was wondering, when they molt, when their new feathers grow in, could they be differently patterned? For example, this is the chicken that is molting.

When she's done molting, is it possible that she could end up with a bunch of white on her new feathers? Or do they stay sort of the same?

 

[Mark & Nique]

Howdy --

Our Speckled Sussex gets more speckled with each molt. And by the way, she is molting now, too!

 

[lillypurrs23]

Hmm. If she gets more white, that will be weird. We're so used to her being a dark chicken!