Two year old chickens have not molted.

[nan4848]

My entire small flock of four 2yr olds have yet to molt. Am getting an average of 3 eggs per day. I live in Iowa.
Is this normal?
I have kept chickens for 10 years and have never had a chicken not molt.

 

[Debbie292d]

I too have a couple that I don't believe have molted and they are at least two years old. I've read that they can skip a molt so I figured that's what at least one of them did. I also have one that has been in a 6-month-long molt.

Sometimes molting can be so subtle that our hens might have molted without us even knowing it, although they don't usually lay eggs during a molt.

Do you do supplemental lighting in your coop though? I've heard that can occasionally not allow them to molt.

 

[nan4848]

I too have a couple that I don't believe have molted and they are at least two years old. I've read that they can skip a molt so I figured that's what at least one of them did. I also have one that has been in a 6-month-long molt.

Sometimes molting can be so subtle that our hens might have molted without us even knowing it, although they don't usually lay eggs during a molt.

Do you do supplemental lighting in your coop though? I've heard that can occasionally not allow them to molt.

I don't provide any supplemental light or heat. I had thought maybe it was a light molt, but all 4 hens? and still laying at least 5 eggs each per week?
All other chickens I've had the last 10 years have molted October or November with one that molted in December.
This is a new one on me.

 

[aart]

What breed are they?

 

[theoldchick]

Some breeds have 'mini-molts' that you may not notice. Since yours is two years old expect a major molt when the days get shorter.

 

[nan4848]

What breed are they?

3 of them are Barred Rocks. The 4th I'm not sure, but she is white. They are all excellent layers and have not slowed down at all.

 

[nan4848]

Some breeds have 'mini-molts' that you may not notice. Since yours is two years old expect a major molt when the days get shorter.

The days here have started lengthening on the 21st of December.
I'm not a new chicken keeper. In the past I've had as many as 13 at a time. Different breeds and all molted, either heavily or light molts.