Mid winter MOLT?!?!?!?!??!?!

[rosemarysugar]

Hi
I have a 1year 1 month old Americana hen who is all of a sudden losing LOTS of feathers. Let me give an example of what LOTS means, this actually happened. ( You pick up the hen, say hi and then put her down and you have about 2-5 feathers in your hand, and then she shakes and loses 5 more). I just noticed this today because I have been a little distracted with my new chick. She shows no signs of sickness or anything like that. Oh and also... about 2 months ago she lost her beard and muff feathers and after a long time gained the muffs back but not the beard ( the beard is just a bunch of pin feathers).

Is this just an odd winter molt or something else?????!?!?

 

[Brahmachicken240]

It’s not unusual for a hen to go through a light molt during winter.

 

[bruceha2000]

My first batch of chicks (from Ideal) hatched early June 2012. One of the Black Australorps didn't moult until the end of January 2014! Yep, doesn't get colder here than that time of year, well below 0°F. She did fine and to my surprise didn't hang anywhere near the heat lamp I had over the waterer (3 of the 5 chicken nipple waterers had failed in Nov and I foolishly had built the pipe into the bottom of the nest box so I couldn't replace them, too cold). It was so cold that only the 1/4 of the ring in the waterer closest to the lamp was not frozen. Yet not one of the 12 chickens hung anywhere near the lamp. That is my "go to" when people claim chickens need heat in the winter.

 

[coach723]

Definitely sounds like molt, the pin feathers are the evidence. Mother nature doesn't always do things exactly on schedule, most birds do fine regardless.
https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2018/01/help-its-winter-and-my-chicken-is.html

 

[MissChick@dee]

Mine are molting too. Makes them cranky and it hurts them Iffin you mess with their pin quills. Poor babies.

 

[rosemarysugar]

Definitely sounds like molt, the pin feathers are the evidence. Mother nature doesn't always do things exactly on schedule, most birds do fine regardless.
https://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2018/01/help-its-winter-and-my-chicken-is.html

Thanks!

 

[Mosey2003]

Yeah, my dingdong SOP pullets decided they'd like to start molting in late December. I really hope they're done and laying by March.

I had a few decide to molt about now last year too, and they did just fine.