Bleaching of pigment from the shanks is a good indicator of a long production time. The shanks have no coloring between two and six months after the onset of continuous lay. When the hen ceases to lay, the body parts are recolored in the same order as they were bleached, with the vent first and the shanks last. The speed at which the color returns depends on the type of feed and the state of the bird's health, but it usually returns in about half the time required to bleach. Molt Each year chickens molt, or lose the older feathers, and grow new ones.
Most hens stop producing eggs until after the molt is completed.
The rate of lay for some hens may not be affected, but their molting time is longer. Late molters are generally the better laying hens and will have a more ragged and tattered covering of feathers. The early molters are generally poorer layers and have a smoother, better-groomed appearance. Early molters drop only a few feathers at a time and may take as long as four to six months to complete the molt. Early molters are usually poor producers in a flock.