Late Year Molt?

[g0vtmule]

One of our ladies have lost a ton of feathers over the past 3-5 days. Is there anything other than molt that would cause rapid feather loss? We are on MD Eastern Shore and while these past few days/nights have not been excessively cold, I'm concerned that she is going to be half-naked through the early part of winter. Thanks in advance.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Mine are also molting, I have 2 Buff-naked Orpingtons and a Welsummer that looks like the dog chewed on her. I hope it’s normal (it’s their first molt)!

 

[coach723]

Chickens can molt just about any time of year. They most commonly start when the daylight hours start to shorten, but 'normal' encompasses a huge spectrum. Many molt in the dead of winter, some molt very early in summer or spring. All can be normal. I have one that molts April-June every year. This year she did a partial molt in spring and another very soft molt in fall. I have a pretty bald bird right now that had a feather explosion about 3 days ago. Usually they do fine. Just keep an eye on those, make sure they are eating and drinking well, make sure they have places to get out of prevailing winds. Sometimes they don't eat well during molt, particularly a hard molt, so offering higher protein treats (scrambled eggs, canned tuna, etc) can be helpful to get them through it. Stress can sometimes trigger a molt, sometimes illness or big changes can trigger it.
https://www.wideopenpets.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-molting-chickens/

 

[g0vtmule]

Thanks All - I just wanted to know if there are other factors that could cause loss of feathers, other than molt. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't some other illness or underlying issue we should be looking for.

 

[coach723]

Most likely, if something else were going on, you would see signs other than feather loss. Abnormal droppings, crop stasis, not eating or drinking, acting different, isolating, not roosting, etc.