molting??????

[d3rabbitry]

We havent had chickens for a long I have one hen who is losing alot of feathers is this molting and if so how long will it take for her to feather back in

 

[BuffOrpington88]

How old is she?

 

[d3rabbitry]

She is around 18mnths and was laying a egg every day or so and stoped laying as well

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Yep! sounds like a molt. when they are over the age of 1, they molt every fall. She will start laying after she is done molting.

 

[d3rabbitry]

thanks for your help do you have any idea how long it takes for them to finish the molt dosent really matter just wondering'

 

[BuffOrpington88]

It can take from two weeks for a good layer, but can last for a month or more!

 

[lizanne]

I have a Barred Rock hen that we bought 3 weeks ago. Her belly and bum are completely naked, but she has laid an egg every day that we have had her (I think she's only skipped 2 days). Is that normal? Shouldn't we see some kind of feathers coming in by now? --- We named her "ugly"... poor thing is not cute!!!

 

[AZChickenQueen]

Well, I am a newbie so I was going to post this to the "Old Timers" section for their amusement but will post here instead since a) I can't figure out how to post it there and b) you might take great comfort in the fact that you live in the internet age and were smart enough to seek enlightenment on this forum instead of suffering the fate of my poor mother, pre-inter-anything, who had the misfortune to inherit chickens that came with a property we bought. She did not know one spittin' thing about 'em - which became readily apparent to our new neighbor (let's just call her Edna-she was right out of a Far-side cartoon) one rainy September morn. Edna came over for the proverbial cup-of-sugar-let's-see-how-the-city-slickers-are-doin' and found my mother on the front porch, very wet, half-bald "pet" (the only one you could approach) chicken struggling in her lap and blow dryer on high setting in the other. Their conversation went something like this:

Edna: "What in tarnation are you DOIN' to that bird?"
Mom: "Well, I'm trying to get her dry, because it's so wet and cold, and her feathers look like they're falling out."
Edna:"Fool, don't you know that chickens molt in the Fall?"

Well, now my mother did. And my advice is: don't try to blow-dry a chicken. They don't much care for it, and neither do the neighbors.

 

[Bccblue88]

Is it normal for the chicken to lose lots of her feathers? You can follow mine where she has been just by following the feather trail. She is my oldest bird so I have yet to go through a molting season and I am not sure if I should be alarmed or not.

 

[AZChickenQueen]

Yup, it sure is! One of my RIRs is going through molt right now (after 3 weeks of being broody - sigh) and it looks like some critter got in the run and attacked her - red feathers EVERYWHERE! Don't worry too much - and whatever you do, if she gets wet don't blow dry her - the neighbors WILL laugh at you!