Molting early?

[hunthaven]

Hi! I have a beautiful 13-month-old Australorp that started losing neck feathers about a month ago. I thought our rooster might be pulling some out, but we gave him away and she has lost more feathers. I sprayed her with Poultry protector in case it might be lice or mites, but didn't see any bugs and the feather loss continued.

Today I put her out in the garden for some time in the weeds, and when I picked her up, I saw/felt that her entire belly and the tops of her legs are completely bald! I did some research, and it looks like a hard molt, but isn't this the wrong time of year? And isn't she still too young? She's still laying (though I don't think she did today), and I don't think she's been stressed any more than usual.

So is a hard molt in late spring (we're in Florida, so it's hot down here already) unheard of?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sometimes they will do a partial neck molt in early spring. That can also be from other birds picking at them.

Many hens will pluck their belly and chest for better contact with eggs on the nest. Many hens no longer go broody, but they still maintain the instinct to pluck their chest.