How common is it for chickens to molt in stages?

[micstrachan]

So last year Margo, my Brown Leghorn, went into the regular molt, came back into lay, and then molted again on her head several weeks later.
This year Buttercup, my Light Brahma, molted on her wings and shoulders, came back into lay, and now she’s dropping feathers and like crazy!
Since this is only my third year of keeping chickens, and I only have a total of nine hens, I haven’t actually been through very many molts in the big picture chicken keeping. So my question is, how common is it for chickens to molt in stages like that? To molt, recover, and molt again?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally I see a partial molt in about one quarter to a half of mine, generally in July to August. They grow in missing feathers, and a few molt on the necks. Than they will do a full molt, usually in October to November, and won't return to lay until February to March. Not all do it but enough that it isn't abnormal here.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh! This might be what Ruby did! There were a few of her feathers around in late summer, but no obvious signs of molt. Now she’s in full blown molt.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You can almost always tell a full molt from a partial because of the feathers lost in a full molt. They only molt tails and wings during a full molt. Partial molts generally are necks, and faces, and occasionally other body areas but never the big feathers.