Have your chickens begun their seasonal molt alreay?

[PhlyinPheBee]

Yep I have at least 2 molting and egg production is also way down. It is also about 2 months earlier this year than last year. I have added game bird food for the extra protein.

 

[PatS]

Some of the girls have bald patches that seem a little worse than they were when the ex-roo pulled some out. The backyard looks like there has been a pillow fight, but not sure if they are from the mature hens or if the feathers are "baby feathers" dropping out from the chicks hatched last April and May. Probably both. Egg production is down to about 50% and it is usually higher than that.

Will I know for sure when the hens are in full-fledged molt? Will the bald patches from our roo's amorous advances grow back in?

 

[gritsar]

Yes, all of my adult chickens are molting. Not as bad this time as they were during their 18 month molt. They are 28 months old.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Yep, I've got at least 1 molting at the moment that is obvious just from looking at her. So many feathers floating around for such a little bantam

 

[emys]

Will I know for sure when the hens are in full-fledged molt? Will the bald patches from our roo's amorous advances grow back in?

Some birds molt very gradually. If you see primary wing feathers coming out, then you know they have started a molt for sure, if you see two or more primary wing feathers coming out at one time on the same wing, they will be hard molting birds and you will know when they are in full molt, because they will look awful.

The bald patches will grow back in at this time, particularly if you house the rooster apart from the hens, otherwise, he might just keep pulling new growing feathers out.​

 

[nivtup]

Some are molting, some are nearly done, and some look to be just starting in earnest.

Various age groups here, so I am fairly certain that age has an effect.

 

[tallyho]

I have a 2 almost 8 year old ameraucanas. Ginger has never looked like she was molting but of course I know she must. She always looks beautiful. The other, Dotty, looks like h#ll every year. I always think she's on her last leg and then I see the sheathed feathers coming in. Dotty looks especially bad this year and has been looking like this for the last 3 weeks or so. The only other one that seems to be molting is my Welsummer, Hazel. She has a few missing feathers but still looks presentable. Misty hatched some babies and looked really bad for a while. Her feathers have come back in so I guess that's it for this year for her. The others don't appear to be molting yeat. Egg production is down.

BTW, my geriatric ladies still laid great this year. Between the two of them I probably got 8-10 eggs per week.

 

[EweSheep]

Mine are slowly losing their feathers in the past month, been so hot lately!

This was taken last year, she looked pitiful!

 

[bock]

My EE started molting a few days ago, but none of the other chickens are.

 

[FluffyColor]

Quote:
My Cochin hen started her molt. My other chicken, a Salmon Favorelle (gender unsure,rooster????) has not began molting yet.
I did not have them last year.