As you can see when a hen moults she looks quite literally like nobody owns her ! It is not always quite so obvious in all hens when they are going through a moult but some can look like the above picture, which can be quite embarrasing to us owners..... especially when one toddles through the shop and we have to explain that we really really do love our hens but they are moulting. Don't be too alarmed at their appearance, new feathers soon come through.

Hens have a moult three times before they come into lay, first is around 1-6 weeks then a partial moult at around 7 weeks then again at 20-22weeks. Thereafter moulting normally takes place 11 months after the hen has come into lay, so depending on when your hen was hatched will depend when it will have its moult. Dont worry your hen goes into a moult in October and November, they seem to cope quite well in the Autumn months, even if the weather is rubbish and you can always put a little extra straw in the coop for night time.

It is not unusual for a hen to stop laying during this time, all the nutrients they are absorbing into their body is now going towards making the new feathers. How long they stop laying for all depends on the individual hen, young hens tend to take around 3 weeks but older hens can take longer, They can seem a little down even a couple of weeks before they lose their feathers. Extra supplements at this time can help such as verm-x poultry zest or a sprinkle of dried garlic mixed in the food to boost their immune system, limestone flour which is pure calcuim carbonate along with extra protein such as mealworms, which they love. Still carry on feeding layers pellets or mash as this also contains protein.

Once they do come back into lay it can be a bit stop and start for a while with a few soft shelled eggs or eggs with no shells on at all, this is quite normal as as long as it goes back to proper shelled eggs it shouldnt be a problem.