Is this molting?

[brewfarm]

My hens are 8 1/2 months old. About a quarter of my hens have a light spot like this on their sides, above the leg. A couple of hens looked like they were missing feathers on their backs when they were out in the rain. I didn't get a pic and I looked for them this morning, but I couldn't tell. None of them look like they have lost feathers around their necks. I thought that's where a molt would start.
It's been really cold, snowed a couple of times in the past week, and egg production has been noticeably down for almost a week (I have 43 hens and I'm down 2-3 eggs a day). Am I seeing a mild molt or could something else be going on? In January it was cold and they seem to shake it off, so I don't think that's it. Their light hasn't changed and they're all drinking and eating the same.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Odd time of year for all of them to molt.
Tell us about their diet. Everything, including the protein percentage of their feed as well as all other foodstuffs and the percentage those things make up of the total.

 

[brewfarm]

Odd time of year for all of them to molt.
Tell us about their diet. Everything, including the protein percentage of their feed as well as all other foodstuffs and the percentage those things make up of the total.

I feed them twice a day- in the morning when I open the coop and the evening before I close the coop. I measure out .4 pounds of feed total for each hen- half at each feeding. Up until 2 weeks ago I was giving them 100 percent feed. Now I give them some alfalfa sprinkled in the yard.
The feed is 3/4 16% protein layer feed and 1/4 alfalfa pellets. The alfalfa is 15% protein. The waterers are in the coop, so they have access 24/7. They drink about 5 gallons a day.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would make two changes.
Keep feed available all waking hours.
Provide some animal protein a couple days a week. That could be meat, fish or even crickets/mealworms. Feathers are 93% protein and feather picking can be a desire for more essential amino acids.

 

[Hopperkiller]

Could be wet feathers stuck together. Sometimes my birds show skin when wet. I cant see any problem but my eyes turn older this month.

 

[littlefarmgirl9]

I totally agree with @ChickenCanoe about protein. Feathers are basically pure protein, so lack of protein can cause them to fall out, become brittle, or pull feathers out to eat them.

 

[brewfarm]

Thanks for all the info. I've picked up a small bag of dried mealworms when I buy bedding at the feed store before. When I go Monday I'll get a large bag and start giving them mealworms a couple times a week. I'm obsessing over their appearance because I'm obsessing over how many eggs their laying. For the last week the number of eggs has dropped. It may be cyclical, but I can't see a pattern in my spreadsheets.
But, this is the first time I've had chickens and they're only 37 weeks old- laying since 20 week. I may just not have enough data yet.