Fall 2024 Molt Report - For science: correlate with the weather?

[grnidone]

I’ve always wondered if there is a correlation between molts and weather. So, let’s gather some data.

Please list:
Where you live?
What breeds you have?
How much your birds molted this fall:

Then, this spring, we can look at the molts and weather and see if there is any correlation or if it is all hooey.

Where I live: Eastern Kansas, USA, (Northern Hemisphere)
Breeds: Silver laced Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, Mixed
Molt: Heavy, heavy molts - some birds nearly naked.

Thank you.

 

[TOMTE]

I'm new to chickens and only have pullets but I'll chip in for science!

Where I live: West Michigan, USA (Northern Hemisphere)
Breeds: Silver Laced Wyandottes (2), Black sex-links (2), red sex-link (1)
Molt: Normal pullet molts, as far as I can tell. They're ~4.5 months old

I wonder if there are more variables you should take into consideration for gathering these stats, like artificial light/heat, diet, age, overall health... Because I think there are too many variables to be able to connect molting with weather directly without first ruling out everything else possible

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Down to 4 Blk Australorps by choice. Three out of the 4 are just finishing their 1rst molt at the age of 23 months here in southern NJ. The 4th has not molted yet and continues to give us 1 egg a day. Feeding Dumor Layer Pellets and never use artificial light or heated coop. DW is bananas on coop sanitation.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Where I live: Maine, USA
Breeds: Orpington, EE, OE, WTB, RSL, Sapphire Gem, Marans, Australorp, and mixes.
Ages: Mixes are almost 4 months old, SGs and Australorp are 1.5 year, and the rest are three years old with one RSL being older.
Molt: Most have done hard molts and stopped laying completely. One RSL hasn't molted at all and my mixes hasn't either.

I included age, as that can effect things as well. I don't keep my birds on artificial anything and I don't change the grain around except for giving them less oyster shells.

 

[aart]

I wonder if there are more variables you should take into consideration for gathering these stats, like artificial light/heat, diet, age, overall health... Because I think there are too many variables to be able to connect molting with weather directly without first ruling out everything else possible

Definitely need to know more variables.

I included age, as that can effect things as well.

Absolutely age in months, especially if under a few years, is critical.

And really, molting has more to do with the length of daylight than the weather. You'll collect a bunch of anecdotes here, but nothing scientific about it.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Where I live: Southeastern PA
Breeds: Sumatran, Easter Egger, Cuckoo Marans, Lavender Orpington, Buff Orpington, RIR, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelder, Cookies and Cream
Ages: 1-2 years; some only 10 months
Molt: My Black Sumatran, Easter Egger, Buff Orp, and Cookies and Cream are all molting and not laying. They are some of the older hens I have. The only older hen I have that isn't molting is my Cuckoo Marans. Two were heavier molts; 2 are regular molts.
All are healthy, eating layer crumbles, plus sunflower seed treats and fresh pumpkins and dry black fly larvae, no artificial light or heat.