Help! My chickens are losing clumps of feathers

[Felinefred]

Three of our four chickens are losing feathers in clumps. We've seen no mites and they have feathers coming back in where they’ve lost them. Our concern is them getting frostbite on exposed skin and the cause of the feather loss. They’ve also quit laying. Any ideas? One chicken has not lost any feathers. Our weather went from warm and sunny to cold and dreary in a couple of weeks. Could this be a cause? Are they late with molting? Thank you.

 

[mymilliefleur]

Sounds like they are molting. I wouldn't worry about frostbite, if your coop is well ventilated, dry, etc they should be fine.

 

[featherhead007]

It's the molt! it sucks I know, but God does have a strange way of timing their molting!
They will be fine!

 

[sourland]

It sounds like a late molt to me. Unless your temperatures are extremely low they should be fine.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I had a hen molt in single digit weather once (kept her inside until it got warmer). Wait until you see a hen, who has lost all of her feathers on her butt, sunning herself with her butt pointed toward the sun instead of her head. Chickens never cease to entertain. Fortunately, all of my hens molted early this year, and it was a heavy molt (never seen anything like it). They all looked pathetic (poor babies). Most have recovered, and I make sure to compliment them - "Girl, you're looking sharp!"

 

[50-45-1]

after their first year, all chickens will molt once a year.
i'm not sure why, but some of my chickens change their feathers so gradually i can hardly notice. other will almost go half naked in a couple days and look completely miserable about it.
they will stop laying during this feather growing process. i think the cold will stimulate the feathers to grow in faster. not sure where you are located or how cold you are talking about. but i have had chickens with bare skin molt in pretty cold temperatures here in Michigan. if your coop is pretty draft free i would say your chickens will be fine.
not to worry.

 

[featherhead007]

after their first year, all chickens will molt once a year.
i'm not sure why, but some of my chickens change their feathers so gradually i can hardly notice. other will almost go half naked in a couple days and look completely miserable about it.
they will stop laying during this feather growing process. i think the cold will stimulate the feathers to grow in faster. not sure where you are located or how cold you are talking about. but i have had chickens with bare skin molt in pretty cold temperatures here in Michigan. if your coop is pretty draft free i would say your chickens will be fine.
not to worry.

If I lived in Michigan, I would probably molt too! brrr, cold in winter!

 

[featherhead007]

All my hens are molting at the same time this year, poor things!