I am surprised to notice some of my hens are starting to molt, since having shorter daylight times. My question is and since I haven't kept laying hens in a few years. Is it normal for them to molt with the on-set of winter. Here in upstate New York it gets rather cold. Last year I kept them laying really well as I used a timer on a light that would come on around 4:30 A.M. This year I am giving them a rest. They have been laying well over a year, so they do need the rest
It is pretty normal for chickens to start molting in the fall and winter. Most of my birds start molting around October, but a couple wait until December or January before beginning.
Yep totally normal. Mine just finished molting. We had freezing temps while they were molting and they all did fine. I don't do anything special for them during that time either. Now I get a dozen eggs a day!