Fall hatch chicks and molt

[Leo1]

I've never had fall hatched birds before, so I'm unsure of timing. These guys were hatched mid-Nov, so, 9 months old. I'm thinking they will molt this fall, rather than skipping it? I've got an EE that has quit laying and just trying to guess if she's headed for a molt or if something's up with her. She doesn't lay much only a couple eggs a week, but haven't seen one in about a week and she's quit squatting for me. She seems good. Could just be a weirdo, too, and not stay in lay all the time like others. So, have your fall chicks molted the following fall?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The timing is right. Most chickens will molt in their second autumn and each thereafter but even birds that hatch in January or February may molt their first autumn.
Essentially, yours are approaching their second autumn.
I like fall hatched chicks because they start laying early in the spring. Spring hatched chicks may not reach POL till after summer solstice.
Your days are now decreasing by almost 3 minutes a day now and will be over 3 minutes a day through September and the first half of October.
That change is detected by the pineal gland and is the most important signal to shut down production and prepare for winter.

 

[aart]

Have never had fall hatched chicks, but have had 9 month olds do a partial molt their first fall.

 

[Leo1]

The timing is right. Most chickens will molt in their second autumn and each thereafter but even birds that hatch in January or February may molt their first autumn.
Essentially, yours are approaching their second autumn.
I like fall hatched chicks because they start laying early in the spring. Spring hatched chicks may not reach POL till after summer solstice.
Your days are now decreasing by almost 3 minutes a day now and will be over 3 minutes a day through September and the first half of October.
That change is detected by the pineal gland and is the most important signal to shut down production and prepare for winter.

I like fall hatched chicks, now, because it's a happy distraction from winter! So, I guess, if this counts as their second fall. She's early in the season, but I've got a 9 year molting already, too, and it does seem to be contagious.

 

[Leo1]

Well, folks, we have a molt. Only 2 feathers so far. Guess I should have just waited a day

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In time, it will look like they had a pillow fight in there.

 

[Leo1]

Oh, I know. She's early, though, so she may do a light, slow molt. She's an EE and all my EE have had pillow fight type molts, but they've also been much heavier layers than she is. She hasn't laid, even, a dozen eggs yet. As a result, she's a solid, beautiful, plump (but not fat) bird, so I'm good with it. I suspect she'll lay consistently for more years than others, but we'll see.