Molting and no eggs for 3 months - when will they lay again?

[Lennie]

If these are just mini-molts, I'm not looking forward to when they're going into their hard "real" molts

They'll be running naked for months and freeze their little behinds off?

 

[teach1rusl]

My BR and BA molted first this fall. It's been almost 3 months since I got an egg from either one, although they've been nice and fluffy once again for about a month now. Their combs have been rather pale too, since the molt. However, I've noticed that my BR's comb is getting really red again, and the BA's is darkening up again too. The BR was cackling and climbing onto the nest box perch this morning, so I'm happily expecting her to begin again any day now...

According to this article, your little pullets are "early molters." http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

 

[Lennie]

Yeah, I've come upon this article a while ago too, but what didn't quite match up was the statement about "poor" layers equal early molters. I don't think I can expect my chickens to lay more than 1 egg per hen every day, can I? LOL
Yet, they went into a molt after laying for only 3 months at the age of 7 months in the case of my polish (white eggs) and 1st EE (cream colored eggs) and 9 months in the case of the 2nd EE (green eggs).

What was interesting to observe in all 3 was that they stopped squatting for me just before they stopped laying. They're still not squatting, although their combs are pretty pink/red again. Hopefully, they'll be squatting again soon and egg production will resume

 

[chseeads]

My chickens are mostly all around 17 months old currently, and they've been molting over the last few months. All at different times and rates. Some of them are refeathered and looking good, and still others have just now started! The laying dropped off when they started in, and currently I may get no eggs some days, or I may get anywhere up to 6 random days, just depends. All this from a flock that was laying over 3 dozen a day at the peak of summer laying season. lol

I keep thinking, man, you girls should've all done this earlier before it got cold! Oh well...

I even have one turkey that just in the past week or so has went into molt - all my other turkeys molted earlier in the fall and got in nice new feathers. But this one has just clung to her old feathers up till now and looked moth eaten, and has just finally dropped a ton of feathers, big bare patches, all tail feathers gone, etc. She's got a ton of pin feathers coming in though.

Weird birds.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Yeah, it was no fun molting for a couple of my birds who dropped all their feathers just before our below freezing, super-cold snap.

I fed them as best I could with lots of fattening and high-protein stuff. And after dark, I moved them around on the roost, to make sure the naked ones were snuggly tucked in between their well-feathered roostmates, and their coop was draft-free. Still, it was c-o-l-d. But I skipped the idea of moving the naked ones inside the house, as that would have caused problems within the flock order...instead, opting to "feed, feed, feed" and to "blanket" the molters at night.

 

[dwegg]

I have six hens and three young pullets and three of the hens went into a molt and I was only getting one maybe two eggs a day for about two months and then yesterday bam! 7 eggs! All have decided to start laying again on the same day and one of my babies also laid her first egg. Just wait and they will reward you...oh and my girls look better than ever after the molt.

 

[Michigan Transplant]

I am a newby and don't know a lot but this MOLTING stuff has me perplexed. I have a few chickens who aren't even a year old yet that have and are loosing their feather just where the tail hooks onto the body. Not sure what this is. They have not been sick that I know of and if it isn't molting, could it possibly be the rooster is WAY to aggressive? Does anyone have close up pictures of what molting looks like. I would greatly appreciate any help in finding out what my girls have or don't have. Thanks you so much. Deb

 

[chseeads]

Quote:
That looks like it's probably just typical rooster damage.

 

[LeighW]

Our chickens are two years old, and for the last 2 months we have had no eggs. They are slightly scruffy looking, but only a little bit of feather loss on their backs. Is this the molt, and how long does it last ? They have a really good diet of mash , vege scraps and wheat. They also free range. I've checked and am sure they are not laying anywhere else. They were great layers prior to this and are brown shavers.