dumb question but... molting?

[Cindy in PA]

I thought most chickens molt around 18 months, or after 1 year of laying, give or take. That is how mine always did. My chickens have always been April or May hatch except when I got 17 week old pullets in November (july hatch) one year. The April and May ones always molted in the fall and the July hatch started laying in November & molted the next year thru the winter. Just my experience.

 

[cmom]

All birds are different. Some may go through heavy molts and other not. Sometimes you don't really see them molting but there are feathers all over the place. Mine went through mini molts. Some were almost 2 yrs old before they went through a maxi molt. My girls didn't quit laying altogether but the production did drop off considerably