Fourteen hens. Most are in the midst of the molt. Some look fully-feathered but continue to be on a rejuvenating break.
One hen continues to produce an egg, almost daily.
Twiggy. She’s yet to molt. He schedule hasn’t changed. She lays her egg without difficulty. She has her normal, ravenous, appetite. She’s healthy – I know this because, after that situation in which the Ladies shunned and pecked at her, now she’s back to being an accepted member of the flock No aggression. No bloodshed. Not even when she’s on the lawn and puts herself amidst the Ladies.
However, while the White Leghorn was once a sharp dresser in a sleek white coat of feathers, she is now clothed in raggedy feathers.
Twiggy seems unconcerned about her attire, so I will be, too. Besides, I’m grateful for that one good egg a day.
We too are getting an almost daily egg from my Leghorn….she looks to be in about the same shape as Twiggy and has not molted yet, she did lose a few feathers in September. I do get about 4 eggs a week from my Delawares, of which there are three..one molted a while ago, one hasn’t yet, and one is in the middle of a hard molt.
The best layers molt last, and those Delawares are good layers.
Twiggy is my favorite, along with Misty. I noticed the new roosting bar in the Big Barn. Did you add that because of all the commotion with them all vying for that top spot? How is the integrating of the flocks going? New chicks in the spring coming?? So fun watching all your leaves turn at the big barn coop. Very beautiful.
Yes, the added roost is in preparation for the mixing of the flocks.
Twiggy is my favourite too. I sure could use a dependable layer right now as all of my hens are in some degree of their moult and I have gone a week now without even one egg to collect. My little Boven (Mae) was a laying machine for her first 3 seasons but this year has called it quits. She still has a voracious appetite and is just as bossy as ever and is the first hen to discover anything new going on, so I figure she`s retired now…just like me on all accounts.
Happy retirement!
Is it possible she won’t molt this year other than that minimal loss of feathers? Can that impact her health long term?
Judging by previous years, she might not have a full molt. I would expect that it would affect her longevity, but it certainly hasn’t affected her vitality.
I am very surprized by my Girls, 2 RIR, Buff Sussex, 2 Magpies, Welsummer have all finished molting bar 1 Magpie who like Twiggy has yet to molt, but all except the Welsummer are laying eggs, not as many as in Spring but still getting 10-15 eggs a week. Could it be because they are a bit older, ( same age as your Ladies ) they did not lay last Autumn or Winter just molted and started again in Spring, very odd as they are not meant to be heavy layers which is why I got them, I was hoping they would have a good rest. I don’t use extra lights so its a bit odd.
Age does change how and when they molt. I’ve also noticed that the older hens take longer to get through the molt.
I have a welsummer cross bantam, who started to lay on 9 December 2013, and has yet to stop. She did pause for about a week last winter, but has never moulted and continues to lay, although only 3 or 4 a week now. As a pullet, her eggs were a nice shade of brown, but the colour has almost gone now and at best you’d say the eggs were tinted. She looks a bit raggy around the top of the head, but still no moult. Do you think this is some genetic quirk?
It sounds like she hasn’t been able to replenish her supply of egg dye. As hens age, their eggshells get lighter in color.
Wow !