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

[feathersnuggles]

I've been feeding extra protein during this time, especially because we just came through a week of deep cold temps. What I've noticed is my mini-molter's appetite is off. I checked crops one night and found hers was flat. Her normally robust appetite is gone, she doesn't want to eat the layer feed. She'll eat treats, pretty well. So, even though it's a pain in the a**, I've been hand-feeding her just before roost time, so she has something in her crop for the night. Here's hoping this doesn't take too much longer.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like you're doing what you can. They do tend to lose appetite during the big molt, but never noticed it during the 9 month one. Of course, there could be something else going on at the same time, but no way to know.

 

[feathersnuggles]

So, instead of saying she's got no appetite, I should actually say she's a picky eater right now. She has definitely got an appetite for protein, because when I hand-feed her there's lots of snorting noises and she eats it very quickly. She just isn't filling up her crop at night, and I don't see her eating the layer feed at all. In fact, I tried to mix some layer into her evening meal, and she picked everything out except the layer feed. Also, her crop is much smaller than before. Before the mini-molt started, she used to stretch that thing out so it was a sight to behold!

There's something about the layer feed -- maybe the extra calcium - that she doesn't want to eat.

 

[speckledhen]

They must love to worry us to death, these girls!

 

[rickc24]

Hey yes my leghorn just got thru it and today she layed a nice white egg...

 

[Nana2KJS]

Okay - so do they need extra light/heat if they've decided to molt in the cold? My 9mo BO pullets quit laying last week and now I'm finding feathers all over. Not a huge bunch, granted, but enough to make me worry about them staying warm enough.

Last week we hit single digits, but I resisted the urge to hang a light in the little house. Though cold, it was dry, draft-free and cozy inside, and they looked at me like I was crazy when I bothered them at 2am (just got off work and decided to check - 20degrees inside the coop).

It's warming up a bit this week, but with the molting going on, I wonder if I need to go ahead and put a light or heat of some kind in there for them.

Suggestions anyone?

 

[Happy Chooks]

My buttercup is molting and she is 9 months old. She lost all her feathers around her face, head neck, under her wings, all her tail feathers but one (for now), a patch next to each side of her tail and her whole underside (from her chest all the way back)

She's regrowing feathers now, so she doesn't look quite as pathetic as she did. We got down to the teens in temperature and I did not add heat and she did fine. I would find her in the morning squished on the roost next to my BR and brahma (my 2 poofiest girls). So I guess their blankets kept her warm.

ETA: I did switch their food to Flock Raiser to give a bit more protein. (plus snacks)

 

[ColoradoMike]

I was going to post a similar question about mid-winter molting in 8-9 month old hens and came across this thread. Two of our girls (Cali White and Barred Rock) stopped laying about 6 weeks ago and started losing considerable amounts of feathers over Christmas. I assumed the inital egg hiatus was seasonal, and now is molt-related. Hopefully they pick up laying in the spring and go strong all summer long. Our third hen, a red sex link, has been dutifully laying an egg a day since she started in early Sept.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Woo hoo! My mini-molter is back in business. And she started laying again, TODAY!!! The 3 months of mini-molting, no laying, finicky eating, is now OVER. Yippee yippee yippee! And a shiney, big egg, too.

 

[tacraig07]

My chickens are starting to loose on their back. At first we thought the roosters were being too hard on them. (They look very brutal when breeding) They are leghorns and the hens are White Rhode Islands and Red Rhode Islands. They are about 9 months old. One is not tolerating it so well. Is this normal?