how long does molt typically last for? when do they get it? do roos do it too? do they all stop laying during a molt? anything i can do to help them get through it easier? how do i know its a molt?
1-3 months, usually in late summer or early fall. You can estimate how far along a bird is in molt. They molt one feather tract at a time, starting with the head and ending with the abdomen. The primaries molt in a certain order (innermost primary first, followed by second innermost, third innermost...) natural, yearly process of replacing feathers. Decreasing daylight hours and hormones cause the molting process yes, but some may not molt as intensely most do add vitamins and minerals to the feed, keep them stress free, they're already stressed during molt Lots of feathers EVERYWHERE! Their faces will turn pale, their vents will become puckered, weight will remain the same, the wing feathers will drop off
My older hens all molted at the same time this year-early fall. It was very obvious, bare patches on their wings, necks, etc. They stopped laying completely, and their combs went from red to pink. They became more docile and seemed to really go down in the pecking order, letting the pullets eat first, etc. I don't use any kind of artificial light in the coop and they are just starting to lay again. I'm ready for that bumper crop of eggs again, I've been eating pullet eggs all winter
