Is this natural?...

[chickfluff]

...Or should I be worrying? My 4 girls haven't laid a single egg in a week. (Besides my BA, who's still religiously laying eggs.

) They're all healthy-looking, nothing on their bottoms, and perky. They're just not laying eggs. And they're losing feathers. But that's normal for chickens in the winter, right?

Anywho, I was just wondering. Thanks guys!

 

[Matt A NC]

If they are losing feathers then they may be starting to molt. Normally a molting hen will not lay and a molt can take 2-4 months to complete.

Matt

 

[chickfluff]

So they won't lay ANY eggs while molting? Interesting.

I'm just glad it isn't anything worse.

 

[claud]

Shorter daylight hours and a molt stops most hens from laying. They may start after they are done with the molt.

 

[dacdeihl]

If they are molting you can provide them with extra protein. That will help them grow feathers.

 

[MsMelvin]

I thought all 4 of my hens moulted in August; now one of them is loosing feathers. That concerns me here in PA, as it is cold out there. Twenty degrees right now and cold weather coming soon.

Eggs don't worry me as much as keeping her warm.

 

[saladin]

Hens can and will moult any time of the year: around August is the normal time. However, sometimes they moult twice in a year. I've had hens nearly "naked" in the middle of January.

Just make sure they have a draft free house to get into out of the weather and they should be fine. saladin