Molting, will she freeze?

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

Our 9 month old EE started molting three days ago. She's lost a couple hundred feathers so far and all of her tail feathers. It's 10 degrees in the coop and -10 or less outside with the wind chill. All of the pullets are staying in the coop so I've shut the pop door and left the 25 watt light bulb on. It's not drafty in the coop. The EE has no bald spots, yet. Will she freeze?

 

[lambchicks]

They are supposed to be pretty good in cold weather. I bet she will be fine. Check out this chart http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[BarredBuff]

She will be fine. Last winter I had a hen who didnt grow her feathers back and never did. She laid thru the winter and had no back feathers.

 

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

It's zero and windy this morning. Some snow blew in the coop in the pop door area. My chickens seems fine, including the molting EE. So far, so good!

 

[Happy Chooks]

She'll be fine. She'll snuggle up to one of the poofy ones.

 

[saladin]

Will she be fine? Depends alot on her internal health. To moult at 9 months is uncommon.

I have had them die when they go thru a winter moult. Did you change her feed or something to cause this moult?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I had 2 molt at 9 months old last year. One girl was a hard molt, and she blew all her feathers in December when we had a real cold snap. Granted our winters aren't as harsh as most, but as long as there is no draft, they will be fine.

Check out the thread in the Managing your Flock section. There's a bunch of people that live in Alaska posting how their chickens do fine without any heat.

 

[zazouse]

It got down to 25 last night and some of my girls look like a porkypine, they were up and about at the crack of dawn doing just fine.
They keep each other warm by huddling up togeather at night.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Bless her heart!

Like being out in the freezing night in your underwear!

 

[saladin]

Quote:
I had 2 molt at 9 months old last year. One girl was a hard molt, and she blew all her feathers in December when we had a real cold snap. Granted our winters aren't as harsh as most, but as long as there is no draft, they will be fine.

Check out the thread in the Managing your Flock section. There's a bunch of people that live in Alaska posting how their chickens do fine without any heat.

I never mentioned anything about heat for birds. I didn't say a bird couldn't moult at 9 months, I said it is uncommon. A moult that early is generally caused by a feed change. Furthermore, I didn't say they would die. I said I've had them die during a winter moult.