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The molt is a complex biological function, and it musn't be seen merely as a function of the calendar. Time and seasonality play a part, yes, but it is not so cut and dried.
Simply put, the molt combines the orderly shedding of old feathers and the re-growth of new feathers. Hopefully, egg laying also continues during this cycle of events.
So, it appears on the surface that if you just force enough protein rich feed down them, they will be able to do both, molt and lay eggs. In practice, egg laying is a draining activity and the hen needs a chance to regroup and rebuild at the end of her laying year cycle. This is what the molt represents, and so it normally supercedes laying, except in rare cases...
Now, it is different for each strain, and each bird within the strain. Some birds drag out the molt for months, while outstanding birds end it within 2 weeks. But those exceptional hens don't get there by chance.
Most of todays hatchery birds are bred for "generic" molt characteristics, or perhaps I should say to be normal. They tend to follow traditional timetables and production is based on seasonal demand. The back yard bred, random flock of mutts is another matter. Most backyarders do not cull, select or manage their flocks through the laying year cycle for molt characteristics.
People in the serious egg business, have traditionally culled based on WHEN the molt begins and HOW LONG it lasts.
The earlier it comes on, the longer they generally take to get through it. 4-5 months is not unheard of in the poor layer.
4 weeks is not unusual in the good layer.
So, the hen that molts too soon and/or takes too long, is seen as a liability. Obviously, the longer before she begins to molt and the shorter it's duration, the better layer she is. The commercial business still rigorously selects based on this trait.
So it is not just how long, but how soon they begin molting that matters. This is where timing comes in.
The earlier the bird hatches, the longer she has to lay and so delay the molt. This is why the "hot time" for buying and hatching chicks is in Feb-Apr, and why the second period for hatching is in Aug-Sep. That way, the flocks overlap - when the first one goes into molt, the second is likely to be coming into lay.
Mother Nature is rather seasonal in her habits, despite our best efforts. Couple
this with careful selection based on molt timing and duration, and you can have a flock that has a short molt, with long periods between them.
So to answer your question; the early molter may molt for 3-4 months. The late molter may last only a month. A very few will take less, and rarest of birds seem not to slow down at all.
The molt is a complex biological function, and it musn't be seen merely as a function of the calendar. Time and seasonality play a part, yes, but it is not so cut and dried.
Simply put, the molt combines the orderly shedding of old feathers and the re-growth of new feathers. Hopefully, egg laying also continues during this cycle of events.
So, it appears on the surface that if you just force enough protein rich feed down them, they will be able to do both, molt and lay eggs. In practice, egg laying is a draining activity and the hen needs a chance to regroup and rebuild at the end of her laying year cycle. This is what the molt represents, and so it normally supercedes laying, except in rare cases...
Now, it is different for each strain, and each bird within the strain. Some birds drag out the molt for months, while outstanding birds end it within 2 weeks. But those exceptional hens don't get there by chance.
Most of todays hatchery birds are bred for "generic" molt characteristics, or perhaps I should say to be normal. They tend to follow traditional timetables and production is based on seasonal demand. The back yard bred, random flock of mutts is another matter. Most backyarders do not cull, select or manage their flocks through the laying year cycle for molt characteristics.
People in the serious egg business, have traditionally culled based on WHEN the molt begins and HOW LONG it lasts.
The earlier it comes on, the longer they generally take to get through it. 4-5 months is not unheard of in the poor layer.
4 weeks is not unusual in the good layer.
So, the hen that molts too soon and/or takes too long, is seen as a liability. Obviously, the longer before she begins to molt and the shorter it's duration, the better layer she is. The commercial business still rigorously selects based on this trait.
So it is not just how long, but how soon they begin molting that matters. This is where timing comes in.
The earlier the bird hatches, the longer she has to lay and so delay the molt. This is why the "hot time" for buying and hatching chicks is in Feb-Apr, and why the second period for hatching is in Aug-Sep. That way, the flocks overlap - when the first one goes into molt, the second is likely to be coming into lay.
Mother Nature is rather seasonal in her habits, despite our best efforts. Couple
this with careful selection based on molt timing and duration, and you can have a flock that has a short molt, with long periods between them.
So to answer your question; the early molter may molt for 3-4 months. The late molter may last only a month. A very few will take less, and rarest of birds seem not to slow down at all.
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