Is it normal for chicks that hatched in early February to be molting now? 3 of my 5 Barnie hens have stopped laying completely, the other 2 slowed way down, and the 3 who stopped appear to be molting! Most of my hens that are 16 months old are molting for the first time, so I find it odd that the Barnies are too. The two Lav Orpington hens also hatched in February have just started to lay. My Barred Rock which hatched mid April also recently started to lay - well one of them is, the other I think will be real soon. My 4 April EE, and 2 Ameracauna are not yet laying. One of my two old EE''s is still laying, the other suddenly stopped and lost most her feathers and looks like a porcupine with all the new growth. She seems oblivious to her ugliness. I went from averaging a dozen eggs per day 3 weeks ago to 4 eggs average (6, 2 the next, then 6, then 2....). Once a week my older BCM drops an egg - she is molting pretty heavily now. My young BCM hatched June 1 from an egg from CGG is Gorgeous! She has really plumped up and has a copper neck, black body, feathered legs and feet. She has been accepted by all the hens into their group, so I'm hoping she will lay soon. She no longer looks like a juvenile.
At the same time all the molting started, my old hens went from sleeping with the oher brds on the roosts to sleeping in the nest boxes
Now I have to clean their poo piles up each morning and put fresh shredded mail in the nest boxes so the eggs won't get dirty. Are they sleeping in the boxes because it is warmer in them, or so that curious younger birds won't pick at the bald spots?
The Light Sussex now has enought new growth to cover the baldness.. Man was she looking ugly! She looks so much smaller without all those big feathers! Kind of like a wet cat.
