Molting

[dr1939]

Do chickens molt this time of the year? I have one that is looking kind of ragged and has lost her tail feathers.

Thanks

 

[Wolf1988]

From my understanding they are more like to molt in winter but may molt in summer or fall. One of ours is also currently molting and has stopped laying. Just check her for parasites to make sure that isn't the cause.

 

[dr1939]

Okay Thanks,
Mine had quit laying because she just canme off being broody.

 

[Weehopper]

Yes, chickens will start into the molt this time of year. Usually with the onset of hot weather, they will start to drop feathers. True, some breeds (I don't know which ones), will have a continuous type of molt (where they drop a feather here and there year round), but those breeds are the exception, not the rule. The molt can last clear into December. It just depends on the rate of feather drop, and regrowth time. They usually taper off or stop laying during this time. They also stop laying as the days get shorter.
Also remember that while they are in the re growth process, they are sore and can get grumpy. The new feather shaft is blood filled while it is growing, and hurts a bit. So during this time, handle them gently.
If a bird goes into a molt during the winter, that chicken will need to be kept warm on cold winter nights. (Lack of feathers) I had a hen last year who came close to being dinner for a coyote. She went into a stress induced molt in the dead of winter, and my husband started bringing her inside in a small, covered kennel, at night, and turning her out during the day (unless it was too cold). Anyway, this Barred Rock hen decided she liked that real well, so she would show up at the back door and wait for someone to come and pick her up to go in her box. Even after all of her feathers grew back, she would come and wait for us to get her.