Topic: Will hen moults occur at different times?

[kt.]

I have 12 hens which have been moulting for 3 months now, laying an average of 4 eggs weekly and they will be culled late autumn at the end of their second season then replaced.  If I get 4 point of lay hens now, and 6 at the end of the year,  will they moult at different times so at least some will always be laying; or will they still end up moulting at the same time?   If this is the case then I may as well wait and get them altogether  late autumn?

[darkbrowneggs]

Most birds will want to moult towards the end of summer after the breeding season, and grow their new feathers for winter warmth and spring breeding plumage.   But we have interfered with nature so much regarding laying hens, that their clocks can go wrong.

Unless a bird is hatched very early in the year it should not need to moult in its first 18 mth or so of life ie POL bought in the summer should theoretically lay all through the winter and on until the next autumn

The moult should take around 12 weeks but apparently cold weather conditions will halt the moulting process, so if birds can be kept warm during their moult they should get it over quickly

I would guess yours will be back in lay soon and then keep going for quite a few months.

If you bought some commercial POL now they may possibly lay on through without moulting, then buy your next lot so they want to come into lay at the end of Oct early Nov.

Most hens will go completely off lay during the moult, but the modern hybrids will sometimes still manage to produce a few eggs

[goodlife]

will they moult at different times so at least some will always be laying; or will they still end up moulting at the same time?

All chickens usually molt from late summer onwards until early winter. Nature has timed the feather growing so that the birds should have their warm feathers ready when cold weather arrives. But not all birds moult every year or they might just do little feather 'change' and some do go very bare and look terrible...the severity of the moult vary from each bird and each year.
Long moult is not desirable thing to happen....it will 'wear' them down...bird that is not in its best condition is not able to resist other problems that may lurk around. Sooner they have their new feathers the better. Poultry drink supplement (with iron) and some extra protein during moulting will ensure that the birds have that bit of 'extra' in their diet that will help to grow the feathers and keep the birds strong.

[pumkinlover]

Mine seem to vary every year.
Good advice from Goodlife.
This year Mavis and Tilly were virtually bald just as we had the cold snap in November- you could just see the little pen feathers. Then as it went really cold-woosh they were fully feathered.