Why are my chickens molting now that the cold weather has arrived?

weesy68

Songster
10 Years
May 3, 2009
186
0
142
Stratford CT
My two RIRs are losing their feathers, it started the moment the really cold weather hit here in CT. Is this normal? Why wouldn't they molt in the spring?
 
Are they about a year and a half old? 18-20 months old is about the right age for the first big molt, no matter what season it is. I have a bunch molting, though most of mine are already finished this year.
 
Quote:
I asked the same question & Speckledhen told me: it's called a mini-molt and pullets can have them around this age. I have one born end of April who's been mini-molting since early November. She's not losing all her feathers at once, just a few at a time, and she stopped laying.
 
Quote:
I asked the same question & Speckledhen told me: it's called a mini-molt and pullets can have them around this age. I have one born end of April who's been mini-molting since early November. She's not losing all her feathers at once, just a few at a time, and she stopped laying.

Sometimes they aren't mini....
 
Mother nature can sure be perverse at times...
hmm.png
 
We have had low temperatures around 8 degrees overnight for the past week (warmer weather is here today) and we have several RIR that are nearly bald. Poor things look so terrible. It did become really obvious when the cold set in though. Seems ODD.
 
Quote:
I asked the same question & Speckledhen told me: it's called a mini-molt and pullets can have them around this age. I have one born end of April who's been mini-molting since early November. She's not losing all her feathers at once, just a few at a time, and she stopped laying.

Sometimes they aren't mini....

Hey, I had NO idea. So, a pullet, 8 mos old, will do a full-blown, naked molt?
ep.gif
 
The BIG first molt comes at a year and a half. The one at 8-9 months is nowhere near what that one will be, trust me. Weather has less to do with molt than the age of the bird, at least with these two molt periods. I've never had the 9 month one be that bad. Just give her extra protein for awhile.
 

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