Molting, will she freeze?

[speckledhen]

Watch every 9 month old pullet I have in 2011 moult just to make a liar out of me! lol.

My chickens like to do that to me, too.


Feathers are the main reason chickens do well in cold weather, being the great insulation they are. When they don't have their clothes on, unless they pack in closely to some of the less naked ones in the flock, they can suffer greatly in extreme cold. Fully feathered, no problem. Slightly molting, no problem. Buck naked, yup, they can suffer. Elderly and molting, could be dangerous for them in very low temps.​

 

[saladin]

Update

I was talking with Craig Russell last night on the phone and mentioned the original question here. Before I could get the answer I gave out of my mouth; he says, "She upped the protein didn't she?"

We both laughed.

I then asked him if he had 9 month old pullets moult. (I've been raising birds over 40 years but he's been doing it over 60. Further, he is known throughout the United States and Canada as the most knowledgable poultry man alive today). He said he couldn't remember when he had seen a 9 month old pullet moult. It's just uncommon.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Gotta say, my birds don't molt until they're over a year old. Typically in the early to mid fall of the year following their hatch. I've some malay and a few other young birds that were hatched in early January of this year that still haven't molted. I don't expect them to until about fall of 2011. I'll try and remember to come back with an update on them.

 

[Dhkoenig]

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

Hi I was looking through this thread and went to click on your link and it is a bio of someone. I don't see a chart. Do you have it in another format?

 

[Dhkoenig]

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

Hi There - I went to check out this chart and it is a bio for someone and no chart. Do you happen to still have that chart? Thanks so much