Molting in January?

[pontoosuc]

Can an 8 month old chicken possibly be molting in January?? It's in the single digits here, and has been cold for several weeks!

I have a Buttercup in bad shape from feather loss. Brought her into the garage tonight (above freezing) since we will be in single digits.

No rooster here, 16 chickens. Many of them have lower back feather damage and I'm trying to alleviate boredom.
But this one Buttercup I picked up this morning also had all of her belly feathers missing, neck feathers, and back feathers.
When I put her down a puff of additional feathers just fell off so I stated to think that it might not just be plucking.

I'm bringing her into work tomorrow afternoon to see one one of our avian vets and I'll keep you all posted.

No other chickens look like this. I'll take some pics tomorrow since I had spritzed some blue kote on her today.

Thank you. Input is really appreciated.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

One of my bantam cochins started moulting last week...dumb bird.

 

[thechickonthehill]

Yeah, one of my Silkies and one of my LF Cochins are molting too. Silly birds.

 

[dondon]

yes my buff orp started molting a couple of wks ago

 

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

I've got an EE just finishing a molt and a Delaware began dropping feathers last night.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I thought something had been killed under the barn shedrow yesterday....it was an EE girl dropping feathers like crazy. HUGE molt...

 

[leenie]

One of our EE's just started her molt about 2 weeks ago. Dropped a ton of feathers all over 3 days. She looks awful.

She's not leaving the coop much these days.

 

[chicnfarmer]

I've been told that lack of water can bring on molt and if your water is freezing because of the cold it is possible that the birds molted because of lack of water? Just a theory.

 

[pontoosuc]

I guess it's good to know that other chickens have decided to molt in the winter.

Good for me, not so good for them!!lol

Thanks for the input everyone. Chicnfarmer, yes, we have a water heater and the water is not freezing
an I clean and refresh the water every day.

I'll post what the vet says later today. (I work at an animal hospital = very convenient and not tons of $$)

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, I currently have a welsummer molting.

BTW, buttercups look positively horrid when they molt, at least mine does. Here she was when she was molting - feathers have grown back in now, but still no eggs.