Could she be molting?

[staceyl]

I have a BO. Around Christmas she has some sort of leg/hip injury. She stayed in the coop several days then limped for another week, but she seems to have healed up fine. However, I don't think she has laid since (hard to tell for sure since I have 2 that lay nearly identical eggs). Her comb is pale and I'm finding her feathers all over the coop and yard. However, she is less than 1 year old and she doesn't appear to have any bald spots, so I'm wondering if it really is molting? Can they molt this early?
Stacey

 

[CityClucks]

Yes, they can and do molt at this age, and mine also seem to choose the colder months to molt. The shorter daylight hours in fall/winter also causes reduced egg production.

 

[staceyl]

Now I feel stupid, because I see lots of posts down below talking about 8 and 9 month old chickens molting. So that must be what it is and I won't worry about it.

 

[CityClucks]

Don't feel stupid Stacey! A lot of first-time chicken owners wonder about this because the "book" and "experience" on when chickens first molt often disagree. And it just proves that chickens can't read...