So, apparently when they're about 18 months old, laying hens have their first molt. According to what I've read, they basically stop laying during the molt, to put energy into feathers, and then ramp back up the spring after their molt. (As counter-intuitive as it seems, most molts apparently take place in fall...you know, when it's starting to get colder...?)

Either way, they look awfully pathetic... We only have one molting, which seems odd to me, since we have 4 of that age. I guess we'll just have to see if the rest follow suit.