Molt - does every chicken molt, and when?

[joypeters]

We've had our girls since July, and haven't had a molt. Do they molt yearly, or only in winter....

We live in So Cal, and it's never really cold here, never below 40. Thanks for any information. Oh, and how long does molting last? joy

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think these two sites read together describe the process pretty well.

Mississippi State describes molting
http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

Kansas State feather loss
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/mf2308.pdf

Many different things can cause a molt. The standard trigger is days getting shorter, but other things can cause it. It is not unusual for chickens to not go through a full adult molt their first winter. Some do but lot wait until the following fall.