Double Molt?

[Ascholten]

Hello everyone:
Quick question.
My, I believe she is a RIR. She molted about a month or so ago, not bad, lost a few feathers, stopped laying for a few weeks then went back to laying. Well within the last week, she's stopped laying again, and is dumping a TON of feathers now! Her attitude is good, she's eating good, all seems well, just she seems to be molting again.

Is this genuinely a second molt, or the first one dragging on, or what? Is this normal /semi normal that they can have two episodes like this per year. Also she's umm, 3.5 to 4 years old or so.

Also, YES, I am giving them a lot of extra calcium to eat if they need, oyster shells, and plenty of food and water so the diet is taken care of. They eat layer feed, I soak it in water so it's soft when they get it, they also get to run around the yard for a few hours at the end of the day too, so get plenty of goodies as well.

Thanks
Aaron

 

[3KillerBs]

Hello everyone:
Quick question.
My, I believe she is a RIR. She molted about a month or so ago, not bad, lost a few feathers, stopped laying for a few weeks then went back to laying. Well within the last week, she's stopped laying again, and is dumping a TON of feathers now! Her attitude is good, she's eating good, all seems well, just she seems to be molting again.

Is this genuinely a second molt, or the first one dragging on, or what? Is this normal /semi normal that they can have two episodes like this per year. Also she's umm, 3.5 to 4 years old or so.

Also, YES, I am giving them a lot of extra calcium to eat if they need, oyster shells, and plenty of food and water so the diet is taken care of. They eat layer feed, I soak it in water so it's soft when they get it, they also get to run around the yard for a few hours at the end of the day too, so get plenty of goodies as well.

Thanks
Aaron

Had she been broody this summer?

One of my Blue Australorps was broody 3 times, had a partial molt (and did she look funny with some new, nicely-blue feathers in the old, sun-faded, brownish feathers), then finished her molt in the fall.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hello everyone:
Quick question.
My, I believe she is a RIR. She molted about a month or so ago, not bad, lost a few feathers, stopped laying for a few weeks then went back to laying. Well within the last week, she's stopped laying again, and is dumping a TON of feathers now! Her attitude is good, she's eating good, all seems well, just she seems to be molting again.

Is this genuinely a second molt, or the first one dragging on, or what? Is this normal /semi normal that they can have two episodes like this per year. Also she's umm, 3.5 to 4 years old or so.

Also, YES, I am giving them a lot of extra calcium to eat if they need, oyster shells, and plenty of food and water so the diet is taken care of. They eat layer feed, I soak it in water so it's soft when they get it, they also get to run around the yard for a few hours at the end of the day too, so get plenty of goodies as well.

Thanks
Aaron

I have had birds do a double molt. It's not completely abnormal as I can see.

Some of my birds will molt in the Spring after the thaw. Second molt is usually late fall approaching winter within my flocks.

Most of my birds just do so once a year. I think it's a genetic trait.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Sometimes chicken's will molt due to stress.

 

[Ascholten]

She's not the broody one, she never was TBH, which is good! She IS older and gives funky eggs but it's a always thing so I guess normal. Funky meaning banded, and HUGE. She's friendly, always the drama queen and first or second, depending on if she can manage to cut off Capt. Fluffy on the way to the treat hand every time I show up so, business as usual as far as I can tell with her!

Aaron