Please forgive my extreme ignorance. I've only had my girls a few weeks! A friend of mine got baby chicks in the spring and has been giving away "extras," so I got five of hers. They are all laying eggs now. I've noticed a few feathers in the run over the last week or two, and one of my ladies has had a few feathers that looked "loose," like they were about to fall out. Is this typical, or does it mean that she is starting to molt? I wasn't expecting them to molt until next fall since they were hatched this spring.
They were all hatched in the spring, in either March or April (they were in two batches, and I have no idea which of mine came from which batch), so either 6 or 7 months old? The "loose" looking feathers are in the tail area. They are all very active and seem otherwise healthy (to my admittedly very inexperienced eyes). I don't notice them pecking at each other much...and the one that has had some loose feathers is near the top of the pecking order anyway.
Typically they start molting from the head back. It's not uncommon for a pullet to go through a mini-molt their first year, but again from the head back. I assume you don't have a rooster that could be damaging her feathers during mating. I would check for mites. If mite free, then unless you see excessive pecking and as long as she continues to behave normally and healthy I wouldn't worry too much.
