Pelting

[RyderTheChicken]

So my chickens have all stopped laying and i heard that they pelt? if they do pelt. How long do they?

 

[tripletfeb]

Do you mean they are molting?

 

[RyderTheChicken]

Yes

 

[tripletfeb]

You will know if your chickens are molting because there will be feathers EVERYWHERE. And they will probably look ragged while they molt. I know a lot of hens are molting early this year, maybe it's the heat. If yours have stopped laying, are losing lots of feathers, and are looking pretty beat up, I would say they are molting. It can last a few weeks to a few months. You might want to think about feeding them a grower/starter food if you aren't now. They need the extra protein to make the feathers. The new feathers will also itch when they come in, so don't be alarmed if your girls are grooming a lot too.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

some where from 2-5 months. molt then winter is here, and they don't lay until spring when daylight lengthens, or artificial light is added to coop during winter to induce laying after they have grown their new feathers in.

 

[aart]

So my chickens have all stopped laying and i heard that they pelt? if they do pelt. How long do they?

Yep, the term is 'molting' for birds.

Molting can take from a few weeks to a few months.
Not laying can be a longer span as they may stop laying before the molt starts and not start laying again until well after the molt is complete.
Upping their protein, especially animal protein, can help them grow in new feathers a bit faster. The 'extra' grooming they do is to remove the keratin sheathing from the new feathers, google 'chicken pin feathers' to see what those look like, you may see 'dandruff' on and around birds as they remove this sheathing.

How old are your birds?

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