Molting?

[Singlemaple]

I have 30 laying hens currently and i think they may have started molting i have
7 NH reds,
2 barred rocks
and 1 copper rock that are 15 months old and.

then i have 7 NH reds, 4 barred rocks and 9 ee's that are 11 months old...

Normally i get 24-27 eggs a day the last 3 days where 16,13 and 8 eggs and I'm wondering what is the average molting age for the breeds i have..

also i have 9 laying box's but they normally only use 5 of them but i also have 11? that where hatched Feb 14Th when do you think they will lay?

I also have 35 more 3 or 4 week old hens ...... ( don't worry i have space for these birds plus I'm going to be selling my 30 adults at the end of the month..) but how many box's do you think i will need for 63 hens?

 

[Den in Penn]

They could be molting sometimes they do a molt in the spring. When they shake, like after a dust bath do feathers fly? Have you ruled out something that may have stressed them? The standard number is four hens per box. As you have experienced they like to use just certain ones, but the favored ones can change. For the Feb. pullets mid July is about the time.

 

[centrarchid]

Birds that were adult prior to start of this years breeding season should be in process of replacing flight feathers of wings. This means birds that are at least 8 months old at this time of year. In most chickens the body and tail feathers will be replaced near the time all of the flight feathers of wings are replaced. With some production breeds the moult can be intense resulting in parts of the body becoming exposed. The "hard" moulting may be a function high heat, poor nutrition, and / or parasites.

 

[Singlemaple]

I have a flipping fox that visits every night as well as a fisher cat that was screaming at them about 5 am a few days ago... they never get in but I'm thinking that may be the cause of them not laying..

I got 12 eggs today and i only see the march girls from last year shedding feathers luckily that's only 10 or so..

does anyone know a sure fire way to get rid of a few foxes? it is a mom dad and 4 kits currently they live about half a mile from my house... We can use a gun but we aren't fast enough to get out there..