# Molting



## cdavis72137 (Sep 20, 2014)

I have some chickens that stated molting in september but have not started laying again yet....how long does it usually take for them to go completely thru this process?


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

A few weeks. But now they may have stopped laying for the winter. They should start up again at the end of February or March. If you want winter eggs you can buy a breed that lays in the winter or buy chicks in the spring so they start to lay in the fall and throughout winter. That's what I do. The new chicks from the spring are now laying. Some of the older non layers I put in the crock pot. Less to feed during the winter months.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Agreed with the above. No two hens were created equal so it depends on breed, age and the individual. Other variables are feed, climate and latitude. 

After the birds recover from molt, one can add light on a timer to achieve up to 14 hours of daily light.
A bit higher protein feed helps complete the feather production process and thereby speeding recovery.


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