The molt that never ends

SourRoses · Sep 4, 2022

About 2 months ago, our 4 mature hens started their molt (none of the younger birds are). The process is still ongoing.
We went from 3 eggs a day to zero. Then two weeks ago, one of them started laying again, every day. They are tiny little less-than-a-golf-ball eggs. Nothing like the size she was laying before. And her tail is a mess. It has been very hot. Our yard is deeply shaded.
They are on 20% protein grower feed with optional "oyster shell". I was thinking of trying to supplement them with something... methionine, omega 3's, game bird grower (higher protein). Still just thinking about it though. I'm ready for them to get back to normal now. They were looking so shiny and lovely before this molt!

WIchickMama · Sep 4, 2022

Do you have any pictures? Sounds like a pretty hard molt. Do you feed them anything beyond the grower feed and oyster shells, any treats?

Without seeing pics, I would up their protein. Some tuna, mealworms, scrambled eggs would all work

Folly's place · Sep 5, 2022

If the feed is fresh, it's not the feed. Then, heat is a big stressor often, some birds are slow molters genetically, and have you looked them over at night with a flashlight, looking for mites or lice?
Also some diseases affect egg production; have any had respiratory issues?
How mature are they, in years? Age gets everybody at some point...
Mary

Ridgerunner · Sep 5, 2022

SourRoses said:
We went from 3 eggs a day to zero. Then two weeks ago, one of them started laying again, every day. They are tiny little less-than-a-golf-ball eggs. Nothing like the size she was laying before. And her tail is a mess.

How old are your pullets? This sounds like one of them has started laying. How sure are you that it is one of your molting hens? Tail feathers are usually among the last of the feathers to fall out and grow back in a molt. Usually a hen quits laying during the molt and uses the nutrition that was being used to make eggs to now make new feathers.

It's possible a hen can lay some eggs even during a molt. I consider 20% a high protein feed. But an egg a day while molting sounds unreasonable. You can supplement all you want but it sure sounds to me that one of your pullets has started laying. I've had pullets start laying as young as 16 weeks and you are feeding a high protein feed.

SourRoses · Sep 6, 2022

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the time you took to reply, although I haven't had a lot of time to respond (sorry!).
Let's see if I can manage to answer all the questions...

For treats, they get scratch every evening before bed, definitely less than 10% of their diet.
Every now and then (not even weekly) we might throw them some fruit or vegetables that have gone a bit off for my liking, but not yucky. They forage for bugs in our deeply shaded yard. They gobble up leaves of the invasive Paper mulberry when we cut them down, and jump/fly for the leaves on their own (non-toxic).

3 of the 4 are two year old hens, 1 is under one year.
I got them from a local breeder in late spring / early summer (in FL I find it's hard to tell what the season is when it's not chilly

).

They laid very well for several months until our worst heat wave. We were getting 3 eggs a day from them, so I figured all 4 were laying and switching up the days off.
But now you guys have me wondering if that youngest hen is the one laying the pullet eggs. She doesn't spend any time around the nest boxes like the others do. If she's responsible it must be a flyby egg

One of the two year olds is the most broody hen I've encountered. She sits on the empty nest most of the day, without any eggs, for these past two months. I thought she had to be the one laying, but I'm certain she was laying big eggs before.
Hers is the messiest tail. I can't bring myself to take pictures of it.

Here's some pictures from soon after the molt started... missing tail feathers and beards & muffs "groomed" by the broody.