Moulting

Say, what age do chickens moult? My girls are about 22 weeks - no eggs yet, but there are feathers everywhere. However, they look fluffy, not scraggly as others say their girls look like. So, are they just growing their feathers and this is not a true moult?

Thanks - this is my second (or third?) post today - sorry to be a bother. Thank U!
 
It's not a specific age, it's a seasonal thing, happens every year, in the fall. But if your birds are very young when fall rolls around, they may not moult the first year, because they don't need to yet. In that case, some breeds will moult the following spring, most will wait until the following fall, and have the first moult then.

They'll get pretty raggedy, meanwhile, from wearing the same set of feathers for so long. Or at least that's what I've seen with mine.
 
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The vitamins/electrolytes may be by the large animal supplies. The stuff we buy is DURVET and comes in a yellow 4 oz package. Or you can use something like Poultry Drench or children's poly-vi-sol vitamins without iron.

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Extra protein would be in addition to the layer feed. You can feed yogurt, eggs (hard cooked or scrambled), dried or liquid milk products (like buttermilk in a dish or mixed with the feed). sunflower seeds, lequmes like clover, or a product like calf-manna or flock raiser. If you feed your birds animal flesh, you could add some fish or meat to their diet. The extra protein is to supplement their diet, so it should not be the majority of the diet.
 
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Wow! It is great that so many are so knowledgeable or I would be truly lost. I will try to get some of the DURVET and I will get some yogurt and stuff for them too.

Thanks so very much because I am just about to my wit's end.
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I just did a search for other Feed n Seed stores in my area and found a couple more I'm going to check with about the vitamins/electrolites. At least that opens up my options.
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Not all of my hens have started back to laying but two of my black stars have. I know because I have gotten two eggs a day for four straight days now. I found a place that sells the layer I had been getting so I got some and fed it to all of them. It took about a week for them to start laying again though.

I realize that not all of my hens have gone back to laying, but at least it's a start.

Whoo hoo!
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Formerly Macy. My chickens stopped laying again for the remainder of winter but they

started back about two weeks ago. Now they're egg laying machines. I can't collect them

fast enough. My dh collects for me when I'm working a long day and he has been completely

amazed by them. Soon I should be able to sell a few here and there. I am so excited.
 

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