Molting Question

CoopintheWoods

Songster
7 Years
Dec 27, 2016
289
593
212
Upstate NY
As the weather gets colder, my birds (and many others') have begun to molt. I was wondering, what is the reason that chickens molt in the fall? Wouldn't it make more sense for a chicken to be half bald in warmer weather?
 
some of mine started molting in the summer.. and then, the weather grew so cold so fast, it's like "hurry up, molt.. before the snow comes" and then they go into a hard, fast molt.. yeah, i have a bare bottom girl right now..
 
While fall may be molting season, chickens can molt at any time of year and individuals in flocks may not molt at same time. I have had birds molt in coldest winter (32f down to zero). They need good feed and oyster shell to renew feathers and their systems, whatever time of year they molt. And THIS YEAR, with drought and 90-100% weather, to upset usual routines, most molted 2, several, 3 times. Mother Nature calls the game! Not to worry.
 
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As the weather gets colder, my birds (and many others') have begun to molt. I was wondering, what is the reason that chickens molt in the fall? Wouldn't it make more sense for a chicken to be half bald in warmer weather?

It seems odd to me too. It has been an uncommonly warm fall in NE NY and we just had temp.s drop like a stone in 1 day.. It's going to be 7 above tonight and we have 4 hens in who aren't in love with each other, made worse by the one who is molting now so 2 have retreated to a nest box (1 in each) and the other 2 are sleeping 4' apart on the roost so the one molting is getting no body heat from huddling. We do not heat our coop. Does anyone think that's going to be a problem tonight?
We also have 4 younger ones, 2 1/2 months old, in a smaller coop (we haven't yet put them together because of the molting older ones being cranky and kind of stressed); they have their adult feathers but one has been very slow in developing them (and growing in general, though she seems hearty enough). They have never had cold like this and we haven't had the usual, more gradual temp. drop.
Any thoughts about bringing them inside tonight?
 
It seems odd to me too. It has been an uncommonly warm fall in NE NY and we just had temp.s drop like a stone in 1 day..
Any thoughts about bringing them inside tonight?

i'm just a little more north of you and i couldn't believe how cold it was this morning.. will definitely have to put the water heater base in tmw..
and
if they have a secure coop, they should do ok with temps dropping.. like no drafts.. cold is bearable, drafts are the hard part.. i'm assuming you have some winter hardy breeds.. they hunker in close together and warm themselves pretty good..
 

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