Isobel Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Is it the weather?! Has anyone else got all their hens moulting already this year? One after the other my ladies have started to throw off their feathers and are looking bald as well as wet and disconsolate. Is this a "thing" this year or is it just mine?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My run looked like there had been a pillow fight today. Usually it is Autumn and winter when they moult but the weather this year is confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I've got a hen and a cockerel both were hatched at about this time of years through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Yes I have a girl who had a mini moult and is is regrowing some lovely new feathers now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dance in the dark Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 It depends what breed they are, and what their age is, and when they were hatched. Moulting is not purely based on seasons. Normally they moult at about 16-18 months old, obviously there is a margin for error, but if they are hybrids, which are hatched all years round pretty much, it depends when you got them. Of course the Autumn is the traditional time because most chicks are hatched between about March and June, they they grow, come into lay in late winter/early spring of the following year, then when their laying season is finished that's when they moult. Having said that, it could be to do with the weather, but from what I know, it seems unlikely, or, at best to be a "contributing factor" to an early moult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
