Molting question

[rancher hicks]

Do all chickens molt at one time.
1. Do different breeds molt at different times?
2. How can I tell if it's from picking?
3. I've checked for mites and there are none.
4. would one breed pick on another?

so this is whats going on. tonight I notice a SLW has missing feathers on the side of her neck. On further examination she is missing feathers on her back. I also noticed another SLW has the same problem. I have noticed an Aus, has a bare backside near the rump which I took for the roo mounting.

5. could this be a molt or a dietary problem. There have been no particular dietary changes.
I haven't noticed this w/ my Dels. I do know my Del roo lost a lot of feathers in the fall.

I also have a bantam friz not near these birds and she is doing the same thing, feathers all over the place. She is in a room w/ a broody hen and no roo. She however has had a major change as I sold her two companions both who are bantam friz. and moved her. She has stopped laying also.

 

[fishermans wife]

My chickens have all molted at different times. Sounds like that is what you have going. I count it a blessing as there is always a few still laying eggs.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Though most chickens tend to molt in the fall, there are contributing factors that can change this. Age, breed and weather seem to play a part in the molt process. We have some that molt severely and others that barely loose any feathers. Some will molt in early fall and others near middle of winter.
Picking will usually leave the skin red and or bleeding. A molt will reveal new feather shafts coming in usually within a week.
Many times one breed will dominate over another breed. Our bantams dominate over all our heavy breeds.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sounds like she's molting. My 2 girls started by losing the feathers around their face, then their neck, then sporadically through their back (especially at the base of the tail), chest and belly area and all their tail feathers fell out.

My buttercup molted much worse than my BR. She was really pathetic looking with virtually no feathers. (in December)

But she kept warm by snuggling up on the roost with the poofy girls.

 

[rancher hicks]

Thanks for your replies this is my first year w/ chickens and as I have 8 dif breeds there is much to learn. Thanks again
Rancher

 

[Ridgerunner]

The drawings on this link can really help determine if it is molting.

Mississippi State describes molting
http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html