Egg Laying After Moulting

[gmayberry]

I have a year old hen who has been an excellent egg layer up till now.
She has just went through her first moult starting in mid September.
All her feathers are back and she is in good health.
Believe me, she looked really bad for a few weeks.
How long does it normally take to get back in gear?
No emergency, Just wondering.

 

[hokankai]

Who knows! It depends on the bird, the amount of light they get, and whether or not they feel like it . It can take quite awhile, months even, and now that she's slowed down with the decrease in daylight it probably won't be until Jan or Feb...maybe earlier maybe later.

Like I said, who knows, haha.

 

[donrae]

So when you say she's a year old, is she like 18 months? That's the usual time for a molt. Most hens take the winter off after that and start laying again the next spring, unless you supplement with light.

 

[gmayberry]

Yes, a little over eighteen months.
Like I said, she is healthy and doing her business as usual.
She really looked like heck going through the moult.
I worked on the neighbors farm when I was growing up and never remember seeing a chicken like this.
She looked like the "Frankenstein" chicken.
But she is "chickening" as usual except for laying eggs.
No problem.
Thanks for the replys.

 

[Smoochie]

Some moulting hens do not lay again until spring others get right back to buisness. Depends a lot on breed and lighting.