My recently introduced chicken, (who isnt laying yet, im told she's 6 months old) is losing feathers in the middle of winter?

[Chicken-Schnitzel]

ok, so i have a small flock of four. at first i have a rooster and a hen, then i decided to get two more birds who were both to young to be laying and of course so naturally they are on the bottom of the pecking order (ones a silkie, other is ameraucana) and it hurts me to see my two top birds just constantly peck at and hurt the young ones (mostly the silkie, the rooster constantly chases the silkie under the coop) but i know they are establishing there pecking order, so wasn't TO concerned ( they have been together for about a month now, 3-4 weeks maybe?) the ameraucana is starting to be accepted by the two top birds, they are starting to slack on the chasing and pecking her. but its odd, because its the ameraucana who is losing a lot of feathers, and its even weirder because I'm told she is 6 months old, and its January (just over halfway through winter, I'm aware that they molt, but i also know that birds don't molt their first year, let alone halfway through winter? the silkies feathers are scatter too, but there are definitely more ameraucana feathers, I'm pretty sure the silkies feathers are from the pecking and the rooster trying to pull them out. the amercana isn't getting pecked as much, but there are her feathers frequently scatter around the run, but mostly in the coop. i even found a couple primary feathers ( or maybe those large tail feathers, i cant tell the difference) im concerned and not sure what to do. what do i do?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A chicken can molt any time of year for any number of reasons. Sometimes it can be stress (for instance from being in a new flock). Short days make it more likely. Just because it is January won't prevent it if they are stressed enough to molt.

I would remove your two older birds and let the new ones make the main coop home and introduce the original birds one at a time over the course of a few days.

 

[coach723]

Can you post pictures of the birds in question? I'm lousy at sexing silkies, but are you sure you don't have a boy? If you got a boy that could be why your rooster is going after him. he's not going to want another roo around his girls.
Chicks will have several juvenile molts until they get their first complete set of adult feathers, and sometimes that can take up to 5 months. Younger birds do occasionally molt or have a partial molt, and stress can sometimes cause molt.

 

[Chicken-Schnitzel]

 

[Chicken-Schnitzel]

here are some pictures, of my ameraucana and silkie, aswell as the other two

 

[coach723]

I don't see obvious signs of molt, are there any pinfeathers coming in anywhere?
I've no idea if your silkie is a boy or girl, you might try posting pictures of it on the breed/sex forum and see what people say.