Molting hens, when end

ange

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Pretty sure my hens are molting, feathers everywhere I HAVE RIR NEWHAMPSHERE BUFF ORPHINGTON i only have 1 or 2 eggs a day out of 13 hens. WHEN DO THEY STOP MOLTING, WE HAVE ALIGHT TO EXTEND THE DAY, AND HAVE NOT USED IT AS YET SINCE THEY ARE MOKTING, WHEN WILL EGGS PICK UP
 
Molting last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months-- depends upon the bird and the nutrition and the severity of the molt.
Your mileage may vary:)
Doesn't help the egg production much right at Christmas Cookie time, does it?
We are in the same boat:/
 
This is epidemic among chickens this time of year. Mine have been losing feathers at a rate to supply a pillow factory. I took a peek at last year's journal entries and saw that it was exactly the same - one egg, maybe, per day out of a dozen hens until the end of December when production suddenly kicked back in.

It's wise to allow molting to run its course without resorting to artificial light to hurry it or end it. That could result in poor feather formation as well as poor egg quality.

Our girls will be grateful for the rest and reward us with a wonderful bonanza of eggs in a few more weeks, not to mention new feather finery.
 
I got 2 eggs today from 36 hens. The oldest hens I have are 9 that are 2 1/2 years old. The rest are from last year and this year.
It's pretty discouraging, especially with the price of feed. I thought about adding a light, but figure they need a little break.
 

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