Molting

[bethinabq]

So I am just starting and bought 4 hens recently that were supposed to be 5 months old at the time. I've had them for 1 month. Only the leghorn was laying and she laid an egg a day for a week and then stopped. The rhode Island red is molting quite a bit. Does that mean she is older than 6 months? I am beginning to wonder.

 

[thebanthams]

Could be stressed or changed of diet.

 

[bethinabq]

Will young birds molt before they start laying if they are stressed?

 

[thebanthams]

Hard to say, but try giving them good protien. I used to give canned cat food!! They loved it

 

[karlamaria]

I have one girl who is going through a hard molt, now growing back . This is her second winter and the first winter she went through a very mild molt, all my girls did, this year is a heavier molt for some. ( second winter) I have been supplementing there foods with extra protein like boss , sprouted wheat and rich in protein greens. We are down to 3 to 4 eggs a day, out of 8 girls. it's the girls I got this year that are laying right now. There around 7 months old . There not molting, do not expect them to until next fall. They may loose a few feathers, but my birds usually wait until the next fall and winter to do the big molt.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have one girl who is going through a hard molt, now growing back . This is her second winter and the first winter she went through a very mild molt, all my girls did, this year is a heavier molt for some. ( second winter) I have been supplementing there foods with extra protein like boss , sprouted wheat and rich in protein greens. We are down to 3 to 4 eggs a day, out of 8 girls. it's the girls I got this year that are laying right now. There around 7 months old . There not molting, do not expect them to until next fall. They may loose a few feathers, but my birds usually wait until the next fall and winter to do the big molt.

You're doing great. I'm getting 6 eggs a day from 30 hens.

 

[karlamaria]

You're doing great.  I'm getting 6 eggs a day from 30 hens.

. Wow 6 from 30 , guess I should count my blessings lol. Tomorrow they will get goats milk and more sprouted wheat along with there pellets. I think they lay the best when they get goats milk, it costs me 8 bucks a gallon, but my chickens love it ! Once a week yogert or goats milk, once a week sprouted wheat, ( did to much so have enough for tomorrow lol ) 1 time a week blue berries and tomatoes, and when it's real cold out, oatmeal in the mornings. the austrolorps were my best winter layers last year, I now only have one and she is the heavy molter right now, my buffs laid good to. Now there in broody mode all the time. Now I'm wishing I kept all the chicks I gave away a few weeks ago. Kept only two and one seems to be a rooster canIdate . Next fall, for sure if I have a broody I'm raising more chicks for spring laying! No more ... Set them in march and have eggs by August. With the deep cold winters here, I would rather grow them in winter and have eggs all spring , summer and fall ! the wait through out summer is a pain!

 

[Happy Chooks]

As your flock ages, the spring babies give you eggs in the fall while your older girls are molting. The fall babies have the winter to grow up to lay in the spring is great too - especially when you are breeding, they are all ready to go in the spring for more hatching. Are you following how chicken math builds up?

(I started with 7 hens and now have 30, not including the babies my broodies are raising and the eggs in my bator)

My flock gets goats milk too and they love it. All the good stuff for their gut too. Yesterday they got soup too, because I'm tired of eating it. Lots of extra protein with the meat and beans in it.

 

[karlamaria]

As your flock ages, the spring babies give you eggs in the fall while your older girls are molting. The fall babies have the winter to grow up to lay in the spring is great too - especially when you are breeding, they are all ready to go in the spring for more hatching. Are you following how chicken math builds up?

(I started with 7 hens and now have 30, not including the babies my broodies are raising and the eggs in my bator)

My flock gets goats milk too and they love it. All the good stuff for their gut too. Yesterday they got soup too, because I'm tired of eating it. Lots of extra protein with the meat and beans in it.

yeah, started with 5, thought that was way to many lol, then I got only 2 or 3 eggs at a time when they started laying, not thrilled as in my mind I thought I would have an egg a day from all five lol. So I added 4 more pullets to the mix, and had 2 chicks from my broody ( got fertilized eggs from local farm ) got rid of two austrolorps as they would not stop picking on the young girls, and I will not have a bad girl ! tried everything but peepers, and just decided there gone to a new farm. they went to a great home. one chick ended up being a rooster, he went to another farm as they needed a new rooster, and then I was down to 8 set eggs under two broodys and had nine birds, gave 7 away, ( wish I did not now ) kept 2 and one is looking to be a rooster. so in the long run this spring any ways I will have 8 big girls, 2 pullets as the chicks grow.

 

[rendezvous1838]

I better build a bigger coop.