Egg production on my layers has been off. I figured that the shorter days and cooler weather were affecting their hormones. Then I went out to take care of them in the early morning a couple of days ago and there were feathers everywhere. My heart sank. A fox must have got them all. I looked in the coop and there they were all still roosting. Then it dawned on me. It has been a year since I got them. They are molting and that is why production is off. What a relief.
Feathers everywhere
One up my Aracuna’s preening.
8 comments:
I am NOT looking forward to molting. Glad a fox didn't get them!
Ours are just finishing the molt... so feathers everywhere are going away, and new feathers growing back in. Hopefully, egg production will begin to rise with cooler days, and more feathers!
This is our first year with the chickens. (We have 12) We have not experienced molting yet. I'm so glad that you've posted this, I would have considered it a fox should I have seen this with out reading it here first :) Great Blog!
PHEW...
I'm glad i logged onto this site. Just discovered that my chickens are molting too. I've only started chicken raising since march of this year. So I'm still quite new and have a lot to learn! I thought maybe they had mite and were sick. But all the evidence points to molting..loss of feathers and low to 0 egg production.
Glad to read this, but what do you need to feed chickens when they are molting? anything special?
Glad to read this, but what do you need to feed chickens when they are molting? anything special?
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