Help with molting

[FarmsteadOn4thStreet]

I only have one laying hen that I bought a few weeks ago that laid two eggs for me then stopped laying! I thought maybe it was the stress of the move being with all new chickens but it’s going on too long for it to just be stress. My guess is molting since she’s missing some feathers around her neck, is there any way I can get her to lay an egg while she’s molting? Or help speed up the process?

 

[InterestingChickens]

I only have one laying hen that I bought a few weeks ago that laid two eggs for me then stopped laying! I thought maybe it was the stress of the move being with all new chickens but it’s going on too long for it to just be stress. My guess is molting since she’s missing some feathers around her neck, is there any way I can get her to lay an egg while she’s molting? Or help speed up the process?

It can take birds a while to acclimatise into a new environment. Did you quarantine her first? To see if she's molting check were she's losing feathers and see if their are any pin feathers coming up.


If so, Keep her well hydrated with lots of food and fresh water. She needs extra protein in this time as growing new feathers takes up a lot of protein which is why she has stopped laying. Apart from this their is nothing else you can do to speed up the process, or make her lay while she's moulting. This process usually takes 4 - 12 weeks depending on how old or young she is. If she is younger this process with be quicker and longer if she is older. This is a natural process. Be careful that the new feathers (pin feathers) don't break as they will release a lot of blood and other chickens will peck, attracted to the blood.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Most birds don't lay during molt. The molt in this case may be a result of stress (recovering from moving to a new home) or if she's an older bird and you're in the northern hemisphere, seasonal molt. If it's seasonal molting she may not lay again until spring.