Fall-winter, molting and egg laying

[Pater est Pullis]

My girls are a year old, Red Sex Links, they've already started to molt. my standard feed is a blend of 16% layer feed and a 22% super breeder. Oyster shells and grit is always available. I've upped their daily ration of BSS, so far no real egg production loss. When they were locked up in the coop, during the hurricane, I had a feed block, which I removed after, since it was the only thing they were eating.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I also let nature take its course over the fall and winter months. I don’t add supplemental lighting and let my girls take a break. With my flock of 17 layers, I am only getting about 3-5 eggs a day right now. This is the time that I tell my friends and family that free eggs from us is no longer available until spring.

 

[aart]

My girls are a year old, Red Sex Links, they've already started to molt. my standard feed is a blend of 16% layer feed and a 22% super breeder. Oyster shells and grit is always available. I've upped their daily ration of BSS, so far no real egg production loss.

12 months old?
Molting and still laying?
What's your ratio of feed mix?
What is BSS?
Sorry for all the Q's

 

[Pater est Pullis]

12 months old?
Molting and still laying?
What's your ratio of feed mix?
What is BSS?
Sorry for all the Q's

yep molting, I checked for bugs, the girls are healthy and bug free. Fall started really early, leaves started turning and falling a few weeks back, plus the stress of me being away a week here and there, and a hurricane to boot, I'm surprised they're laying at all. I have noticed a slight decline in egg quality; smaller, some fairy eggs, thinner shells (but not excessive).
Feed mix is 50/50. I forgot to add I do give them scrambled eggs with Cayenne, Garlic, Oregano, every other day or so, they get so excited when they see me coming with the pie pans.
I don't know if it's correct, but I use the acronym BSS when referring to Black Sunflower Seeds.

 

[aart]

I don't know if it's correct, but I use the acronym BSS when referring to Black Sunflower Seeds.

Usually it's BOSS Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
12 months old and already done with a full molt?

 

[Pater est Pullis]

Usually it's BOSS Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
12 months old and already done with a full molt?

I don't know if it's a full on molt, their feathers are a bit bedraggled, my wife asked if they were fighting. No wounds, looks like molt to me, I'll try to snap some pix later. They're far from done.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, normally Black OIL Sunflower Seeds. They are pretty high in protein so make a good snack but they are also high in oil so don't overdo it. That oil does make their feathers really nice and shiny.

Some birds are fast molters some slow. It's genetic. it's not how fast the feathers grow back, it's how fast they fall out. A fast molter can have some pretty bad bald spots, with a slow molter you may not be able to tell by looking at them. To me the best way to tell if they are molting is whether you see a lot of extra feathers flying around.

The feathers fall out in a certain pattern. They normally start around the head and go to other specific body parts in a certain order. This link talks about it.

http://extension.msstate.edu/content/molting-laying-hens

I'll include this old thread just to show how bad it can be. It's probably a good time of year to revive it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/official-contest-worst-chicken-molt-pictures-winner.394556/

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

omigosh. One of my dears emerged from the coop this morning with nearly every feather on her back half gone. She didn't go into the coop last night like that. I'm going to have to be careful and not body shame her, but it's hard not to laugh. I used to have nightmares of being in school like that.

 

[cheivilin]

It's that time of the year when the older ladies are molting, the days are getting shorter for those of us that live in the northern hemisphere and as a result we see a drop in egg production. What are you all doing to ensure you have eggs over fall/winter? Do you supplement light in the coop? Are you storing up surplus eggs? Did you raise pullets over summer to come into lay now and how is that working for you all?