Do chooks moult more as they get older?

[Snadger]

Some of my chooks will be about 4 years old now and at present look like the oven ready version you usually get as battery hens!

They've just neck moulted up til now each year but this year they seem as if they are going for a full (as in every feather) moult.

Anybody seeing them would think I was badly treating them............... so was wondering how long before they start feathering up again?

Anyway, hows this evolution thing work.............as soon as we had a bit of a frost, they dropped there feathers...........not the brightest way to perpetuate the species methinks!

[Bramble-Poultry]

evolution, intelligence and chickens, three words not normally associated with each other!

my ex-batts are certainly throwing out feathers like no tomorrow. Perhaps they are anticipating a really cold winter?

[Suechooks]

My 4 new ex-batts are moulting too Jennie. I keep finding bundles of feathers all over the run and hut. They did look ok when they arrived but...........! ......and what's more they've stopped laying so I guess it's a proper hormonal job!

[Bramble-Poultry]

Hormonal - you shoudl see Jennie knitting little jumpers for them - if i didnt know what she was doing i would panic at the amount of knitting thinking we might have a few additions of our own!!!

[its hilly]

Mrs Hen looks so tatty Im ashamed and the geese are doing it too. Dont know about rain, my barn looks like its snowing.
If I knitted jumpers for mine they'd pack up and leave en mass. Not one of my better skills

Wonder if they used to fly south for winter once over? Or maybe paddled in Shadegrows ark.lol

[Snadger]

.................Wonder if they used to fly south for winter once over?.............

What...............without feathers!

[woody2k4]

do you use anything for them whilst they are molting?

[Suechooks]

do you use anything for them whilst they are molting?

Some sort of tonic is good - Poultry Spice or Battles or similar.

[woody2k4]

I've been using the new stuff by netext, its quite good.

Is ACV any good during the molt?

[Eco-Chic]

I give mine ACV every day as it's good for getting rid of internal parasites. I give it to the dogs too for the same reason, plus it is supposed to help prevent build up of tartar but I would have needed to start that when they were pups.