Molting: What happened to it?

[chickfluff]

So, from what I heard, molting is a process where birds loose lots of feathers in winter time, right? Well, that didn't happen to my girls! I suppose they did molt, but only a few feathers, and they looked they same all winter, as in they didn't look like they were molting at all! Are there just some different levels of molting, like loosing loads of feathers so the chickens almost look bald, or loosing so few that it's unnoticeable? Also, some other things that may be a factor in this tiny molting: The girls were born in April, ( I don't think the birth date matters, but what do I know?

) and we live in a very hot place, where it did in fact amazingly rain this winter, but of course no snow. The coldest temperature was approx. 49 degrees, and that was at night. During the day it lingered around 60. But doesn't molting have something to do about the length of the days? Bleh, I know nothing about molting.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
Lot's of chickens molt differently from each other, some alot, some just a few feathers. Even chicks growing out have what is call a juvenile molt. My chickens molt in late Sept. thru Nov.

This link is good reading....

http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

 

[RAWR]

i think most of my chickens molt afew at a time...but idk...

 

[feathersnuggles]

Their first big molt is usually at 18 months old or so. Some will do a mini-molt at 9 months, which one of my girls did (actually hers started at 7 months old). Beginning November 2009, she shed a few feathers at a time, over a 3 month period. And she just started laying again, TODAY!!!

All my flock was born at the very end of April 09. Except for the mini-molter, they did not molt this fall and they continued to lay eggs. I expect them ALL to do their first big molt, in Fall of 2010.

 

[gritsar]

Some of my chickens went thru a mini-molt in the 7 to 9 month range, getting their true adult plumage. Some of those and others had their big "18 month" molt in the 16 to 19 month range. I have one hen that didn't molt in the 7 to 9 month range and didn't molt in the 18 month range. She's now 21 months old. When she finally does molt, it's gonna be a doozy.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Most of my RIRs are doing the mini molt now. They will be a year old in the middle of February. One of them however decided to do a full blown molt.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Some molt late in general too. I don't mean by age, I mean by month. I have 2 barred rocks that still haven't gone into their molt. They've been laying all winter and look horrendous! One of them molted in January last year, so who knows if they'll molt soon or not. They are a little over 2 years old.

 

[RAWR]

how often do chickens molt anyway?

 

[feathersnuggles]

After the first big molt, I think once a year is normal.

I'm starting to wonder - based on my experience with my mini-molter - if hens, who begin laying at an early age, also molt early. Does anyone else have experience with that?

My mini-molter started laying at 19 weeks old (earlier than the rest of the flock by 4 weeks or more). She then proceeded to lay for about 8-9 weeks, after which she stopped laying and had a mini-molt lasting 3 months. My other hens, who started laying at 24-28 weeks, continued laying and did not molt this winter.

So when you total it up, my earliest layer laid for the fewest number of weeks, so far -- only half of what the other hens did. This makes me wonder if it's really so great to have an early layer?

 

[chookchick]

Feathersnuggles, you might be onto something. My EE who started at 16 weeks had a fairly definite molt. The others lost feathers here and there--I probably wouldn't have noticed but they all have their "place" on the roost, so it's obvious what's going on. Good news is--Cleopatra was the first to start up again recently, and is laying well. The others are squatting, but no eggs yet. Older hens are back to going like gangbusters--good girls!