Molting and Supplemental Light

[katieinthetetons]

Do young chicks molt too, or is it just older birds? My chicks are two months old and sure seem to be losing lots of feathers these days--what seem to me are developed feathers, not the downy stuff. New to all this so just trying to sort out what's normal!

Also, since my chicks aren't laying yet would it still be beneficial to add supplemental lighting to the coop? Will this help start up the egg-laying process for them? They'll be 20 weeks in mid-December so I'm thinking the eggs won't start coming until more daylight starts creeping in. Does lighting help with that for chicks who were born later in the summer?

 

[Flockandfowl46]

Chicks will go through a juvi molt so probably normal...as for the lighting I'm anti light therapy so can't help you there other than this...
https://www.motherearthnews.com/hom...d-cons-of-lighting-your-chicken-coop-zbcz1512

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Do young chicks molt too, or is it just older birds?...

All chickens molt exactly like all humans lose and regrow hairs. Chicks first lose their baby FUZZ and replace the fuzz with progressively larger or more grown up feathers. This operation is so fast that it is almost invisible.

Adult chickens lose all their feathers or almost all of their adult feathers starting in the fall at 1 & 1/2 years of age. This first adult molt is subsequently repeated each fall in response to shorter hours of daylight. In commercial egg farms hens are sometimes forced molted so that the farmer may have a flock in full production at the time of year of the highest wholesale egg prices.

 

[katieinthetetons]

Thank you both!

 

[aart]

Chicks will got thru 2-3 molts by 6 months of age.
Whether to light or not is up to you....I use lights but not until Solstice so they can get thru molt and take a bit of a break.
Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting.