Okay. Been raising backyard chickens on and off now for about 5 years. My present flock we ordered from a hatchery last November. They are now a year old and have been great hens. Over the past couple of weeks, most of them have been drastically losing feathers. At first it concerned me, but then I just figured they were molting. I had never experienced serious molting. Their egg production has also drastically decreased. For a flock of 12, we were getting 8-10 eggs a day, now they are down to 2-3 a day. A couple of the RIRs have lost a lot of feathers around their neck and breast area and ofcourse their tale feathers. One or two of the hens do not seem to be losing any feathers at this time. Does this sound like they are molting and is it normal for them to look so scraggly while molting? Other than losing feathers and a decreased egg production, they all seem content and still eat like normal. Am I worried over nothing and if this is molting, then about how long does it take for them to stop and start growing their feathers back? Thanks for any input!!!
