First-time molt - is this normal?

[Percipen]

Right now my 3 month old Cayuga has that exact same "frumpy feather" look as your welshie. I'm happy to see that this is normal and our girls will look fabulous again after their molt

 

[KaleIAm]

Okay, that's reassuring! My welsh began laying initially last year in jan or feb (WA state). I was surprised by that schedule since I thought they wouldn't lay in the coldest months.

When mine had a natural daylight schedule they started laying again, after taking their winter break, in January or February. It seemed to be the increasing length of daylight, not the temperature, that signaled their bodies to lay. I could be wrong - that's just what I observed in my ducks.