Shrinking cones and wattles?

The two with the shrinking combs and wattles have also stopped laying for the past two weeks. I also noticed they are dropping feathers. I didn’t think they should be molting because they are only 6 1/2 months old.

I have only had ten chickens total, but so far more than half of them have had a significant molt their FIRST year/fall.
 
They normally do not have a large molt until they are close to 18 months old, then yearly thereafter. Most pullets in their first season do lay through the first winter, but most hens need 12 hours of light each day to lay eggs. I would keep an eye on them for any other problems, but hopefully they will resume laying after the first of the year. If you have a light on a timer in your coop, you can set it for up to 3 hours before daylight to go off at daylight, then let them go to sleep normally at dark, to see if giving them 12 hours of light per day helps them to lay through winter.
Thank U, it has been in the upper 70s and 80s here, but the days are getting shorter. I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but my friend has a parrot that when it is loud she puts it in the shower with the radio on, so that is what I did when these two were squawking up a storm and ever since then they have not laid an egg. Hopefully it is not because I made them stay in a different place for a couple of hours. It’s making me feel really bad and guilty! They have not been very friendly to me since then and it has been 2 weeks.
 
Well a shower with a loud radio would scare them, and stop a lot of chickens from laying. I wouldn’t do that again. But, the pale combs sound like they have shut down hormonally. The rare chicken can suffer from reproductive disorders in their first year, but it would be unusual for 2 new layers to do that. Hens do make a lot of noise sometimes, so if that is a problem, you may need to rethink keeping chickens. Mine could be quite noisy when they were young and in their prime.
 
Please don't put your chickens in the shower with a loud radio, its really not something that is reasonable, shouldn't be doing it to a parrot either. Hens can be as loud or louder than roo's. Its normal. You prob scared them pretty badly.:th

I would check their skin for lice or mites. If they have them, that could be a reason for pale, shrunken wattles and combs.
 
Well a shower with a loud radio would scare them, and stop a lot of chickens from laying. I wouldn’t do that again. But, the pale combs sound like they have shut down hormonally. The rare chicken can suffer from reproductive disorders in their first year, but it would be unusual for 2 new layers to do that. Hens do make a lot of noise sometimes, so if that is a problem, you may need to rethink keeping chickens. Mine could be quite noisy when they were young and in their prime.
Well, I feel really bad about it, I think I just followed some bad advice. They have been very silent ever since and have not laid an egg since then. They were always my friendliest and always called out to me very loudly whenever I stepped outside.
 
Please don't put your chickens in the shower with a loud radio, its really not something that is reasonable, shouldn't be doing it to a parrot either. Hens can be as loud or louder than roo's. Its normal. You prob scared them pretty badly.:th

I would check their skin for lice or mites. If they have them, that could be a reason for pale, shrunken wattles and combs.
I didn’t have the water on I just put them in the bathroom.
 
Well, it was bad advice. I know you feel bad. :hugs
Thank you, I have 8 chickens and I spend a lot of time with them, so if their shrunken wattles and non laying is because of me, I do feel really bad. I always bring them into the house to bathe them and clean them up so I did not think that would be so upsetting to them.
 
They do seem a bit young to molt. I would check to blood sucking parasites. Check their skin around the back of neck, vent area and under wings. Look close, cause sometimes the little critters can be fast and almost skin colored.
Thank you, I have been checking for that. The only thing I noticed today was that under their wings seemed sort of sweaty or sort of damp. I thought that was kind of weird.
 

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