My hens are ALL molting now? why?

[JerryR708]

So as it turn out... chickens didn't seem to get the memo about when they should or shouldn't do certain things.

Apparently my hens got the memo.

 

[JerryR708]

But the shortest day of the year is December 21st and come January... days are getting longer already. Maybe a delayed reaction though?

My Chickens knew that I do a lot of my baking in December for Christmas, that's why they put it off until January.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My Chickens knew that I do a lot of my baking in December for Christmas, that's why they put it off until January.

Now that makes sense!

 

[JerryR708]

Now that makes sense!

Maybe I should have put that in the memo. Chickens holding off molting until after Christmas when I need eggs for baking.

 

[Onslow's Hens]

LOL! Thanks everyone!. I obviously totally forgot the memo all together.
The game bird is a 20% protein and half the calcium of a normal layer feed with a separate oyster shell dish. Good idea to maybe worm them all right now since no eggs anyway. Ok to worm during molt? Or maybe to hard on system all at one time??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Depends on the wormer. Fenbendazole, commonly sold as Safeguard, can maybe possibly cause some feathers to grow back curly. Some people might think that's cool, others would be horrified. I think there are other wormers that can cause that too but can't remember what they are.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

LOL! Thanks everyone!. I obviously totally forgot the memo all together.
The game bird is a 20% protein and half the calcium of a normal layer feed with a separate oyster shell dish. Good idea to maybe worm them all right now since no eggs anyway. Ok to worm during molt? Or maybe to hard on system all at one time??

Personally wouldn't do it without getting a fecal float and seeing IF I need to treat and make sure I treat for the right thing instead of wasting my $, effort and time treating for what I don't have and not treating for what I do (might) have and not benefiting my flock at all. $13-18 at my vet, and I employ a "flock" float, meaning multiple samples mixed into one test. In addition to that, I would probably wait until they seem closer to the end of molting as a personal preference since it IS taxing on the system too, though I don't know anything about the different medications and their actual toll differences.

Wow I didn't know they made game bird feed with only 20% protein... I wonder what the difference is between that and a standard flock raiser (maybe vitamin levels) and if one would benefit chicken more than the other? I will note that if you prefer you could even use an unmedicated chick starter (all just names that describe different protein and calcium levels and confuse a lot of people), if you found one you liked better than the game bird feed. Thank you for sharing!

I think my birds might have gotten the memo... but it wasn't in their native languages Bawk and Chickenese. So I might have to translate!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I was worried when temps dipped really low and half my hens looked like pin cushions but they seemed to do ok locked in at night and still ran around the farm all day. Sad looking though! No eggs since early January. Frustrating!

That is why God made White Leghorn hens. So no matter which month Easter comes in, we would have a sufficiency of easy to dye white shelled eggs to hide as well as deviled eggs to go with our baked Easter ham.

 

[rebrascora]

What time of year they hatched may also have a relevance as to when they moult. If they hatched out of season (late autumn/winter), then that may cause them to moult out of season. Birds are more naturally hatched Spring and summer and moult the following summer/autumn.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There is a process called "A forced molt" (Google it to learn more) This is often used in commercial and some backyard flocks to get the molt out of the way early so as to have their birds up and laying like gangbusters when December and January rolls around. Then the price of eggs jumps up and farmers are able to take full advantage of the price increase. There is an old adage that says, "You can't peddle out of an empty cart," and this is doubly true with eggs. Higher egg prices don't help a bit if you don't have anything in your cart to trade or sell.

Anyway go over your husbandry practices and see if there is anything mentioned in the "Forced Molt" file that you may have inadvertently done with or too your chickens.