Molting

[terryg]

Glad my FAQ helped!

 

[mcbird]

hi i have 20 chickens and i to have the same problem not sure what to do to molt them.iam only getting about 6 eggs now.i was wondering if any one could tell me what to do. i love my chickens and miss my eggs. thanks for the help
lisa

 

[Happy Chooks]

Here is a thread that shows how bad a molt can look.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/580915/for-the-new-folks-that-havent-experienced-a-molt-yet/0_50

 

[hopp2it]

I'm glad I got to read up on molting. My birds are 6-7 months old so no molting this year!!

 

[yolka doodle]

When they molt, do they lose all the feathers and hop around "bald" for some time? I'm obviously new at this. And, I also have a hen that stayed in her nesting box (not even laying) for 6-8 months. Only out on occasion. She came out for about 1 1/2 months so I was happy she was back with the crowd. Now, the last two weeks, she's gone back to her box and stays there most of the time. Any suggestions?

Hi, i am new to this too. One of my girls spend four days in the nest box and was quite aggressive when i touched her. As suggested on here i put her in a wire cage with no bedding only food and water. after just one day she ws back to normal, she was broody. I can take longer to break it. but it worked for me. They have to go in the cage to cool down.

 

[sunflowerfarms]

Definatly really helpful!!! So are you supposed to buy eggs from the store during the molt then?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Definatly really helpful!!! So are you supposed to buy eggs from the store during the molt then?

I stockpile my eggs towards the end of summer. And I hatch babies every year so I have some pullets that still give me eggs. With the combination of the 2, I can avoid buying store bought eggs.

 

[Mskayladog]

I stockpile my eggs towards the end of summer.  And I hatch babies every year so I have some pullets that still give me eggs.  With the combination of the 2, I can avoid buying store bought eggs.

Happy crooks how long do fresh eggs last and how do you hoard the eggs? Fridge or what?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
As long as they are unwashed, fresh eggs will keep in the refrigerator for 3 months. If they are washed, then much less - more like a month tops.