Please help! (Questions about molting)

[LindseyM12]

Please help, my chickens are not laying good at all! I was wondering if they where molting cause I only am getting 2-7 eggs a day from 17 chickens,so i was wondering when do they start to molt for the first time. thanks!

 

[gritsar]

Some of my hens went thru a mini-molt in the 7 to 9 month range, with no decrease in egg production.
Now all but three of them are going thru a full molt, at 17+ months with a drastic reduction in production.
I think the first big molt usually happens around 18 months or so.

 

[tmpshrty96]

i have 0ver 50 chickens and am only getting 1 0r two eggs a day!!!!!!!!!!!and their all old enough to lay except for 6!!!

 

[Katy]

A good number of my hens are molting right now and I've went from 3-4 dozen eggs a day down to 1 dozen if I'm lucky........all in about a weeks time.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Boy Katy do I know that feeling. Thirteen hens went from 11 to 13 a day to 2 a day virtually overnight. I have one hen that is continuing to lay despite the fact that she's nearly naked.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This link gives you good info on molting.

Mississippi State describes molting
http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

Different things can cause a molt. Usually it is the daylight hours getting shorter so most of us can expect a molt about now, but running out of water or other stress can cause a molt.

 

[LindseyM12]

Thanks for all the info!

 

[CityChook]

Ridgerunner, thanks for the link. I'm in the same boat as everyone else here. I actually had to BUY eggs this week for the first time in 10 months. Blah!!