what does molt look like? and when does it happen and how long does it last? and do they lay any eggs, do I have to change feed? girls are a year old last week. thnaks for the help
It looks like your birds are losing all their feathers. They don't lay during that time, is lasts a few weeks, and you know? I don't know if you're supposed to change the food. I never have, and they do just fine. There's just a lot of feathers all over the place!
It is actually a little early for a molt (usually around 62 to 72 weeks), but absolutely possible. Most chickens will not lay during that time or significantly less, because all the protein needs goes into new feather grow and not into egg production. You can try to feed them a handful of dry cat food to increase the protein intake and speed up the process a little bit. It might take 8 to 18 weeks for them to be back in full production, depending if they are slow or fast feathering out. Make sure that loosing the feathers does not have any other reasons like drafty living conditions, low quality feed or parasites like worms or mites.
