Light or No Light?

[Kathleen1115]

Well, now I have a question... My six girls, all different breeds, were born at the end of August, had light 24/7 through the fall while they were in the brooder and then moved out to their coop and now have about 14 hours of light. They never molted in the fall, which I attributed to the fact that they were just feathering out. So -- did they not molt because of the light and is that a problem? They're all beautifully feathered -- shiny, soft and full -- drop feathers but not in enormous amounts and have no bare patches or anything. But why would they need to molt if their feathers were just coming in to begin with?

 

[Imp]

Chickens don't usually molt the first fall. Sometimes rarely if ever. I've had 9 chickens over 7 years and have had only 1 heavily molt once. The rest just kind of slowly lose feathers and replace. Occasionally one will lose all the feathers on the head or neck. I don't know why this is, when others see heavy molting. I think maybe it is the mild weather we get here in the PNW. I have one that lost head feathers and were never replaced.

Imp-Poor girl has Male Pattern Baldness.

 

[crazychickenldy]

Quote:
that is one of the reasons I hv left the light on them 24/7, I was told it would keep them from molting, and they would lay better. So far I have had no issues with pecking. But the question is, is it healthier to turn off the light? I'm not sure. I know chickens are also creatures of habit, and the light being shut off might throw them off. So I am kinda leaning toward if it ain't broke, don't fix it....