when should chickens molt?

[Don Jr]

?

 

[Mahonri]

First moult (molt) should be around 6 months.

 

[wordgirl]

Quote:
Hmm.... Our chickens just turned 6 months old (and haven't molted) and it's now November. If they were born in the later spring or summer, will they wait until the next fall to molt?

 

[crazyhen]

First molt is usually a light one the second one is usually around 18 months and can really be pitiful. They are molting now here. I went out one day and there were feathers everywhere. I thought something had gotten ahold of them. NOT, just molting like crazy. Thats the reason I like different ages of hens. Some are laying and others molting. It keeps me in eggs, so far. Gloria Jean

 

[Orpstralope]

My chickens have just started to lose a few feathers and they are at about 19 weeks, is this a molt or is this just them naturally losing feathers? Check the signature for the breeds!

 

[crazyhen]

they go through several very light molts while matureing. that is the reason baby chicks coloring can be so different from the mature bird. I know my EE seem to change almost every month until mature. Gloria Jean