Its November and still moulting............is this normal?

[6chickens in St. Charles]

On my days off work, our darling EE hen "Roaster" begs to come in and listen to music videos while I keep my feet up and attend to the business of emails. She and her sad little leftover tail feather sit now on the back of my chair, groaning that her favorite Kelly Clarkson video is done and impatiently awaiting the end of opera (Sherrill Milnes in Don Carlo).

I'm a sucker. I frequently let her in while I'm home. If I get a chance to lay on the couch for a sweet nap, she's really into that, laying on the couch with me. She sometimes snores. So on Mondays, Wednesdays and many Fridays, she's my little feathered house buddy from around 10 to 2.

What I wonder is this: She's almost done moulting, has pinfeathers sticking out everywhere. If I allow her in the toasty warm house on these cold November days, will she grow less warm feathers? Do the luxurious double winter feather "coats" require lots of cold wind exposure?

She comes to the door because she's probably lonely, I don't think she's cold. The rest of our flock is tending to babies, and they don't allow her near them. I think until the babies are bigger, the momma hens won't tolerate her company. Our oldest babies are about 10 weeks old, look like real chickens, and some have perched up on her roost at night with no trouble.

Anybody else have experience with moulting for winter warmth? Thanks!

 

[chick4chix]

OMG- what a cute story about your little feather buddy! She sounds darling.
Sorry I dont' have any advice on the winter molt- we are in the middle of a heat wave here in San Diego- 99 degrees yesterday and hotter today. My girls all started molting in September and are just finally getting their feathers back except for the GLW who laid longer and lost her feathers last. She is in the pin-cushion phase where all the others are looking good- they have even begun getting a little red back in their combs- they were the palest of pale pink in the molt. This is their first hard molt.
It was cool and rainy during most of their molt.
Are yours laying? I haven't gotten an egg in over a month- most of them have not laid in two months.

 

[matthewschickens]

Mine molt all year long. I don't know why but they do. Some in the spring, summer, fall, and dead winter

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:
No eggs for about 2 weeks. But in March, there may be 6-10 eggs a day! What will we do then?!

"Roaster"girl has been back outside like a regular chicken all afternoon. I bet she'll get plenty of cold wind. Not like she cares, she's dustbathing.