I don't know if I exactly have a question here or not amid my scattered observations...if I do I guess I would ask "so what REALLY causes a chicken to molt?"
I know that molting is the periodic regrowth of feathers and a time for rejuvenation of a bird's system and is crucial for rebuilding the body for egg laying. The standard advice is that the first major adult molt most often occurs at 18 months, and the older hens will then molt annually. But that is not what I am personally experiencing. I'm seeing a far greater variation with the exception that fall comes...they molt...and don't lay eggs....or is it just some falls?
I have my hens on good quality layer feed, water with ACV (raw with mother), periodically wormed (meds 2x/year; herbals inbetween), and fed good quality scratch that does not equal more than 10 to 20% of their total feed. During fall/winter I have them on 20% protein layer....summer 16% protein layer....fall/winter scratch includes lots of good BOSS and some crack corn and millet (which they love). They free range on 1/3 acre for 17 hens (my main layer flock...doesn't include babies in brooding hutch).
Over the years I have followed old timers advice and try to keep half my flock in younger pullets and half in older hens to take advantage of larger eggs and abundant eggs and to avoid all of them molting in the fall to attempt to have more even laying through the winter months without lighting (since we've decided not to go to the expense to add proper lighting to the coop at this time as burned one down with the extension cord/light...proper wiring not in the budget right now.)
I use the formula of keeping twice as many birds as eggs needed for winter lay since I typically see 1/2 production during the winter months. I don't live in hard winters but constant NW Oregon rain, rain, rain and grey with occasional cold spells where it will hover below freezing all day (likely in the 20's for a week or so).
However, I am seeing more molting...and less eggs... than I expected. I have personally observed the following with molting:
One year, a set of April chicks, after just coming into laying in August, molted their first fall and did not really start laying well again until spring....okay, made a point to hatch/buy earlier
So my next set were purchased in February, and those 6 to 7 month old pullets didn't molt their first fall but laid well through winter. (No food or flock management differences).
Okay, thinking I've got this figured out, I hatch chicks in February and June and purchase 6 month old birds in March so that I would have only half of my flocking in the heavy molt, a few just coming into lay and not productive til spring (June chicks), but then a few who should be 6 to 7 months old and laying well (February chicks)....however...
My 18 month to 2 year old hens are molting hard this fall...as expected (GSL's and Welsummer)....AND...
My hens purchased March for winter layers are now 1 years old and molting hard and not laying. (Delawares and Wyandottes) AND
My chicks hatched in February are now 9 months old...1 is molting and not laying; 1 is not molting and laying. (Barnyard layer mutts)
My June hatchlings are just coming into laying age and not really laying...as expected...so I'm only sporadically getting some baby eggs from them (Barnyard layer mutts again with some EE/gamebird mix).
Of my 17 hens that are of age to lay...I am getting maybe 2 eggs....if I am lucky 3...some days only 1...and I can see which hens are doing it as they are the only ones with full glossy feathers...2 BSL, 1 Wellie/RIR mix and 1 Mutt....interestingly of those 4 birds, 3 went broody in June (hatched those chicks for me) and molted hard after brooding and are laying well now...the only reason I am getting any eggs.
Okay...back to my pondering/musing/question.....
Given the same care, feed, etc.
Why the difference in molting?
Is it like caterpillars and moss on trees predicting a hard winter? Do chickens go into a hard molt before hard winters?
Does molting just vary? Some years they all do?
Breed driven? (All my breeds are, and I've got a lot of different ones)
Or is molting caused by different factors I am not aware of?
I have done nothing to force a molt....no placing them in darkness, no withdrawal of food or water. They get the best care I can give.
The only other factor might be IB went through my flock in May but they recovered and laid well through summer. ( I'm pretty sure one of the pullets purchased as a 6 month old brought it in)...could that be the difference such that I am seeing a flock wide molt? (all the birds would have been exposed except the June hatchlings and my September EE's which I am not including in this as they are still babies.)
Thanks for any input about your observations and experiences. I'd like to use it to continue to manipulate my flock so that I only have half of them molting and not laying while the other half lay well through the winter.
Lady of McCamley
I know that molting is the periodic regrowth of feathers and a time for rejuvenation of a bird's system and is crucial for rebuilding the body for egg laying. The standard advice is that the first major adult molt most often occurs at 18 months, and the older hens will then molt annually. But that is not what I am personally experiencing. I'm seeing a far greater variation with the exception that fall comes...they molt...and don't lay eggs....or is it just some falls?
I have my hens on good quality layer feed, water with ACV (raw with mother), periodically wormed (meds 2x/year; herbals inbetween), and fed good quality scratch that does not equal more than 10 to 20% of their total feed. During fall/winter I have them on 20% protein layer....summer 16% protein layer....fall/winter scratch includes lots of good BOSS and some crack corn and millet (which they love). They free range on 1/3 acre for 17 hens (my main layer flock...doesn't include babies in brooding hutch).
Over the years I have followed old timers advice and try to keep half my flock in younger pullets and half in older hens to take advantage of larger eggs and abundant eggs and to avoid all of them molting in the fall to attempt to have more even laying through the winter months without lighting (since we've decided not to go to the expense to add proper lighting to the coop at this time as burned one down with the extension cord/light...proper wiring not in the budget right now.)
I use the formula of keeping twice as many birds as eggs needed for winter lay since I typically see 1/2 production during the winter months. I don't live in hard winters but constant NW Oregon rain, rain, rain and grey with occasional cold spells where it will hover below freezing all day (likely in the 20's for a week or so).
However, I am seeing more molting...and less eggs... than I expected. I have personally observed the following with molting:
One year, a set of April chicks, after just coming into laying in August, molted their first fall and did not really start laying well again until spring....okay, made a point to hatch/buy earlier
So my next set were purchased in February, and those 6 to 7 month old pullets didn't molt their first fall but laid well through winter. (No food or flock management differences).
Okay, thinking I've got this figured out, I hatch chicks in February and June and purchase 6 month old birds in March so that I would have only half of my flocking in the heavy molt, a few just coming into lay and not productive til spring (June chicks), but then a few who should be 6 to 7 months old and laying well (February chicks)....however...
My 18 month to 2 year old hens are molting hard this fall...as expected (GSL's and Welsummer)....AND...
My hens purchased March for winter layers are now 1 years old and molting hard and not laying. (Delawares and Wyandottes) AND
My chicks hatched in February are now 9 months old...1 is molting and not laying; 1 is not molting and laying. (Barnyard layer mutts)
My June hatchlings are just coming into laying age and not really laying...as expected...so I'm only sporadically getting some baby eggs from them (Barnyard layer mutts again with some EE/gamebird mix).
Of my 17 hens that are of age to lay...I am getting maybe 2 eggs....if I am lucky 3...some days only 1...and I can see which hens are doing it as they are the only ones with full glossy feathers...2 BSL, 1 Wellie/RIR mix and 1 Mutt....interestingly of those 4 birds, 3 went broody in June (hatched those chicks for me) and molted hard after brooding and are laying well now...the only reason I am getting any eggs.
Okay...back to my pondering/musing/question.....
Given the same care, feed, etc.
Why the difference in molting?
Is it like caterpillars and moss on trees predicting a hard winter? Do chickens go into a hard molt before hard winters?
Does molting just vary? Some years they all do?
Breed driven? (All my breeds are, and I've got a lot of different ones)
Or is molting caused by different factors I am not aware of?
I have done nothing to force a molt....no placing them in darkness, no withdrawal of food or water. They get the best care I can give.
The only other factor might be IB went through my flock in May but they recovered and laid well through summer. ( I'm pretty sure one of the pullets purchased as a 6 month old brought it in)...could that be the difference such that I am seeing a flock wide molt? (all the birds would have been exposed except the June hatchlings and my September EE's which I am not including in this as they are still babies.)
Thanks for any input about your observations and experiences. I'd like to use it to continue to manipulate my flock so that I only have half of them molting and not laying while the other half lay well through the winter.
Lady of McCamley
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