moulting

[clucking chicks]

Please could someone tell me if my warrens will moult and if they do, will they have a little egg laying rest as winter is coming? Surely moulting chickens don't loose all their feathers at once at this time of year, so how does moulting work? Will I come down one morning to find a burst pillow effect in the garden or is it a very gradual process?
(Can you tell from my question that this is my first winter with chickens??)

Thank you!

 

[VALBURNHAM]

Hi welcome to the world of chicken keeping. Yes hens do moult around september October normally. How old are your hens as they probably wont do a full moult the first year. When they moult they usually do take a egg laying break. Mine usually do quite a gradual moult but this year one of my hens went pratiacally bald overnight it was a little scarey, but I see today the new feathers starting to come through. Silly girl did she have to wait till it was soo cold

 

[chrismahon]

Warrens shouldn't moult at all in their first year but they will next year. None of our hybrids moulted in their first year but in their second they did to varying degrees and Annie didn't grow her feathers back all Winter and was given a knitted jumper -which she hated, kept taking off and chose to freeze. She has re-feathered completely now and no moult this, her third, year.

 

[Chuck]

Yes Warrens in common with all chickens moult. Chickens vary in the way they shed their feathers, some drop a lot at once and look quite bald and some have a gradual moult. They seldom lay when moulting as all their energy goes into producing new feathers.
It does depend on the age of the hens whether they will moult this time or not. Most start in late summer/early autumn but a lot seem to be late this year.

 

[clucking chicks]

When I purchased my girls I was told they would come into lay in the first week of Sept ish! If they were 20 weeks old then and my maths is OK, they are about 26 weeks old now. Fancy waiting till now when it is frosty and cold to let all your feathers fall out!!!
Thanks for your hints!

 

[Chuck]

It's a bit unusual for pullets of that age to go into a heavy moult. The normal expectation would be for them to come into lay at about 22 -24 weeks and lay until next autumn when they would go into a moult.
Usually, Warrens that come into lay in Sept/Oct lay well through their first winter.