No Eggs and Molting Like Crazy

[spicewood chick]

I think I have read that molting is normal right now but one of my girls is loosing feathers like crazy and no one else is AND she hasn’t laid an egg in a couple of week and she is normally a regular layer. Is this normal

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally the better the layer the harder the molt. Some can drop almost all feathers overnight. All my birds molt on their own time and schedule. Most hens stop laying to molt.

 

[snow5164]

If you’re concerned look at her vent .. normal? No mites?

Post a picture and others can chime in. Mine stopped laying for a few weeks , first molt for them .

 

[50-45-1]

Yes it is normal.
Most hens will stop or slow egg production while molting because all her energy is going to keeping warm and growing those new feathers.
I have 11 hens all molting. One is almost naked right now and our temperatures here in michigan took a dip down into the 40's a couple days ago.
I still collected 4 eggs today.

 

[azygous]

Some hens will continue to lay during molt. I have three such determined little layers. Each seems to be in a very gradual molt.

Other hens of mine have quit laying while molting, and at first glance they look very unwell. Combs are very dried out, shrunken, and very pale. These hens are cranky, and even the most friendly don't wish to be touched. They are molting much harder than the three that are still laying.

It makes a lot of sense for hens to stop laying eggs during molt. It requires a lot of nutrients to make new feathers and the same goes for making eggs. It would be very taxing to a hen's reserves to try to do both.

There is also the day light factor. At my latitude, day light is less than twelve hours. It's at the point where there is barely enough light to trigger those laying hormones.

 

[chub_the_chick]

My chickens are molting too, they are only 13 weeks old.