Is Molting worse this year?

[Iluveggers]

Woke up and my beautiful splash Wyandotte lost her entire neck of feathers last night. Poor thing!

 

[Anon112]

This is the worst/hardest molt I've ever seen my chickens go through. And the timing has been awful because I've been having to treat for roundworms.

 

[Wendee]

I have a range of hens ages 8 weeks to 4 years. This year, the molt is BAD. I have about 7 hens who seemed to have lost half their feathers overnight. I have had 1 or 2 look like this in the past, but never this many at the same time.

A few look to have molted and grown back feathers already (earlier molt). But my almost-baldies took me by surprise.

Anyone else going through this? Does this happen in cycles? Doesn’t seem to be an age or breed thing…one of my barred rocks went through a quick easy molt and the other is a baldie, same chick batch.

I swear some of them are so bald that I have feathers everywhere .No Egg laying
This is the worst-case I have seen in years.

 

[Anp268]

I have a range of hens ages 8 weeks to 4 years. This year, the molt is BAD. I have about 7 hens who seemed to have lost half their feathers overnight. I have had 1 or 2 look like this in the past, but never this many at the same time.

A few look to have molted and grown back feathers already (earlier molt). But my almost-baldies took me by surprise.

Anyone else going through this? Does this happen in cycles? Doesn’t seem to be an age or breed thing…one of my barred rocks went through a quick easy molt and the other is a baldie, same chick batch.

Most of my girls are having a hard molt this year..I have been feeding them sardines, seems to be helping them get new feathers quickly. I am also feeding them their fishy eggs - the few I am getting anyway! I think there are many factors affecting the molting process - age, nutrition, environment, ECT. But some of my girls were almost naked for a while..

 

[ChickenBug20]

I have a range of hens ages 8 weeks to 4 years. This year, the molt is BAD. I have about 7 hens who seemed to have lost half their feathers overnight. I have had 1 or 2 look like this in the past, but never this many at the same time.

A few look to have molted and grown back feathers already (earlier molt). But my almost-baldies took me by surprise.

Anyone else going through this? Does this happen in cycles? Doesn’t seem to be an age or breed thing…one of my barred rocks went through a quick easy molt and the other is a baldie, same chick batch.

Most of my 16 ladies are in hard molt. The 3 that missed the party just turned one year. My Mom asked if like women their cycles all synch together? Don't know about that but they sure are pathetic and a bit cranky. Lily looks like she has Q-tips stuck to her rump

 

[EmmaDonovan]

All twelve of our hens are in the hardest molt I've ever seen and they're going through fowl pox at the same time, poor things. We've been feeding them extra protein: grubs, peas, sardines, salmon, and tuna.

 

[FinnEllaMom]

It's been a hard molt for a number of my ladies. They turn 2 in February. Fortunately they're getting their feathers back in quickly thanks to giving them extra protein. I'm in central Florida. Never thought to feed them sardines or tuna.

 

[MROO]

My birds did it, too. I'm thinking it had to do with warm weather followed immediately by a serious coldsnap - as in 80F to hard frost in 12 hours! That happened twice in one month and my coop and run looked like a pillow factory. The trees love a hard frost - warm temps - hard frost week. They were covered with beautiful colors all at once and are now bare. Unfortunately, the same weather had a similar effect on half my flock!

 

[MROO]

Woke up and my beautiful splash Wyandotte lost her entire neck of feathers last night. Poor thing!

View attachment 4248033

I'll bet you never suspected that you had incognito naked necks!
The poor gal.

 

[MROO]

Most of my 16 ladies are in hard molt. The 3 that missed the party just turned one year. My Mom asked if like women their cycles all synch together? Don't know about that but they sure are pathetic and a bit cranky. Lily looks like she has Q-tips stuck to her rump

Poor Lily ... that looks SO sore!