# Moulting



## Elfinworld (Jul 11, 2013)

When do your chickens normally molt? Is there a season? Or when they get to a certain age?

Thanks for any advice.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

Babies molt at about 3 months old to grow in their secondary feathers and at about 5 months old for their final tail feathers. Adults will molt in late summer early fall.


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## Elfinworld (Jul 11, 2013)

Apyl said:


> Babies molt at about 3 months old to grow in their secondary feathers and at about 5 months old for their final tail feathers. Adults will molt in late summer early fall.


Would it be too early for one of my hens to be molting now? She is 1 and 1/2 years old. Never molted prior to this. Missing feathers around neck and under wings. Checked for lice and mites but nothing. Feathers are coming in in clumps now that she is on FF though. Should I be worried or is this normal?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

It's normal...most start about this time if they are past their first year of life. My yard and coop looks like Mardi Gras and it hasn't even gotten into full molting season yet! The rooster looks like a bum...two raggedy cock feathers left sticking up


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## Elfinworld (Jul 11, 2013)

Bee said:


> It's normal...most start about this time if they are past their first year of life. My yard and coop looks like Mardi Gras and it hasn't even gotten into full molting season yet! The rooster looks like a bum...two raggedy cock feathers left sticking up


Aw! Poor rooster.

We just added an Easter Egger to our flock. It was given to us by a friend because she was being treaded too aggressively by their Roos. So she currently has a nekid back. And our BCM is apparently molting. Our BO molted a little but she's fully feathered again. She just lost a little feathers around her comb area for about 2 weeks and that was over.

It's just so strange how different birds molt differently.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

Totally normal for molting right now.


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## Elfinworld (Jul 11, 2013)

Apyl said:


> Totally normal for molting right now.


Phew! Good.


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

Ah, so I can expect the 5-month moult to start soon...I moved them into their pen just in time for the 3-month moult, didn't know that was what it was...so going to the FF may minimize the 5MM??


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Not really...when it is time to shove out the old and grow in the new, not much will minimize it, though the increased health and protein uptake provided by FF can speed growth of new feathering.


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## Itsacutefuzzball (Mar 16, 2013)

Bee said:


> It's normal...most start about this time if they are past their first year of life. My yard and coop looks like Mardi Gras and it hasn't even gotten into full molting season yet! The rooster looks like a bum...two raggedy cock feathers left sticking up


We need a pic of that rooster. Who's with me?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Ask and you shall receive...this is really a pic of my coop in the summer but you can just see poor Toby in his summer drawers and raggedy maleness showing in the corner. He would be sooooooo embarrassed if he knew I was showing folks his shameful, raggedy molting self.....


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## Itsacutefuzzball (Mar 16, 2013)

Lol! Those tail feathers!


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