Molting .....seeing lots of feathers.

[M.sue]

Good morning,
My chicks are 16 1/2 wks. old and it seems that there are a lot of feathers around the coop. I cleaned it it out the other day so I know some are from the cleaning job. My question, at what age do they molt, doesn't that occur usually in the spring/fall? I have seem my Bantam Roo get after the girls once in a while but nothing serious or out of ordinary Roo behavior. Been reading ,maybe they need more protein. They are finishing up a bag of grower/finisher feed and will be onto the next stage in about a couple of weeks or less. Any replys would be appreciated and helpful!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check this article for juvenile molts. I think what you are seeing is their last juvenile molt before they become adults. Mine tend to do that around 13 to 14 weeks, but I seldom see anything consistent with chickens. They all seem to do their own thing.

Kansas State feather loss
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/mf2308.pdf

 

[M.sue]

Thanks I'll check it out when I get time.