Long molting season?

[beeksnfeet]

How long is the usual molting season for chickens? Our biggest Buff Orp, Margo, started the 1st week in September, and is still molting. Is this normal? Our other 2 started about 3 weeks ago. Margo's comb is pale but she is mostly filled in and seems to be acting fine. Edith and Agnes are splotchier looking then Margo, but their combs are nice and red. Their coop & run look like some one set off a bomb in a pillow factory. My concern is that our weather is taking a turn for the worse come Tuesday evening, below freezing temps and possible snow. Their run and coop will be covered with plastic sheeting like last year, but I still am concerned since this is their first molt. They were so fat and fluff last year, I miss my chubbies sitting on my lap! Any one have words of wisdom for me????:/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different chickens molt at different speeds. It’s not a case of how fast the feathers grow back, it’s how fast they fall out. Some can pretty much be over a molt in 6 weeks, maybe less. Some take four months. Some molt so slowly it’s hard to tell by looking at them that they are even molting but you see feathers flying around. With some you see huge bare spots. Most are in between.

This approaching cold weather has a lot of people concerned. Normally a molting chicken can handle the cold really well. Naked necks (Turken) have bare necks and about half the feathers of other chickens. They are known as a cold hardy breed.

I don’t know how bare any of yours are or what their coop and run look like. Unless there were some fair sized bald spots I would not be concerned but I’m sure they are your pets. You are going to worry. Without looking at them and your set-up, I’d probably not do anything more than you are planning, make sure they can get out of the wind if they want to. But that is a hard call to make from here.

Good luck!