Molting Season – Fewer Eggs and Fewer Feathers

Molting season is upon us, and with it comes a reduction in egg production and possibly some raggedy-looking chickens.

In the late summer and early fall, chickens that are about one year of age and older go through a seasonal cycle where they shed their old feathers and grow in new feathers to keep them warm through the coming winter. This can take a lot of a chicken’s energy. It can also lower a chicken’s immune system because resources from the food it eats are being redirected to growing all those new feathers.

Two of my boys before and during a molt:

  

So what can you do to help your chicken through a molt?

Watch for Feather Picking/Egg Eating:

Often when a chicken is molting they crave protein. Some will break and eat eggs to get it, and others may pick out their own feathers and eat them. Yummy, no? Still other birds will pick their friend’s feathers to snack upon. You may see bare bottoms (apparently the fluff under the vent is considered a special delicacy). What can you do? See the next point:

Boost Protein Levels:

Make sure your flock is getting between 18% and 22% protein throughout the molting period.

You can buy bagged feed (many meat bird and chick feeds have these levels of protein – just look at the nutritional analysis on the bag).

Feed your chickens meat. The best meats for your birds this time of year are raw liver and any unprocessed meats. Cooked is fine, but avoid things like bologna and hotdogs as they are filled with preservatives and fillers. Article: Just Add Meat - Chickens are Not Vegetarians! (NCK)

Another option is fish food available at your local feed store – often in 50 lb bags. This feed can have protein levels as high as 35%, so give only a little bit each day as a supplement to their regular feed.

Good recipes for molting chickens:

DIY Suet Cakes (Natural Chicken Keeping)
Molt Meatloaf (from Fresh Eggs Daily)

Meal Worm Granola Bites (from Fresh Eggs Daily)

Don’t Worry About the Eggs:

It is not uncommon for hens to lay odd eggs at an irregular pace during molt. Where a hen may have laid 5+ eggs a week like clockwork, she may now be laying 1 or 2. You may get objects lovingly known as “fart eggs” at this time. These are tiny little eggs – often without a yolk. You may get eggs with soft shells or no shells. Rest assured, it is likely ALL because of the molt!

Egg production will return after the molt is done. 

Monitor Health:

Molting won’t last forever, but remember that during this time your birds’ immunity to disease and illness may be lowered. Watch for any signs of illness like fluffed up feathers, hunched stance, discharge from the nose or eyes and lethargy. If you have already boosted protein and your birds aren’t stressed out, it is unlikely they will become sick at all. It is more common for older or weaker birds to have these problems.

Use the Molt to Your Advantage:
This is a very good time of year to check your birds over. With fewer feathers and fluff, it is easier to see external parasites like lice and mites. If you discover a problem, click HERE for information on getting rid of them naturally.

This Too Shall Pass:

Molting usually takes a few weeks, and different breeds will sometimes molt at different times. Two of my Silkies are all done with their molt and looking better than ever, while my adult Swedish Flowers and egg production flock are looking like a gaggle of hobos that had a run in with a heard of porcupines.

Anatomy of Feather Growth:

Pin feathers

If you have chickens with bare spots, you will first notice a small nub forming, signaling the growth of a new feather. As the sheath of the feather lengthens it may be appear to be a different color than the rest of the fully-grown feathers on your chicken. This is because pin feathers have a blood supply in the shaft during development.

If a pin feather becomes damaged or broken, it can bleed quite a bit. The best thing to do if this happens is to use needle-nose pliers to gently pull out the pin feather at the base. This will allow the bleeding to stop much sooner at the skin level. A new pin feather will develop and grow in the following weeks. Your birds will bear a slight resemblance to porcupines at this stage… so be sure to have a camera handy to record this humorous event.

Feather Sheath

You will notice as the blood supply diminishes from the growing feather that a tuft may appear from the top of the sheath. Just like a sword sheath, a feather sheath is just that – a covering. As the feather barbules develop, the sheath flakes off, exposing the newly grown feather. During this time, your birds may appear to have horrific dandruff. No need to grab the Head & Shoulders shampoo – the flakey residue from the sheath will fall off as your chicken preens or takes a dust bath. 

And finally, your birds will look better than ever once their new feathers have completely grown in! Your black birds whose feathers may have faded to a reddish-brown in the summer sun will be a shiny, dark black once again. Red birds will appear darker red, white birds will look freshly bleached and all the other colors will be vivid and rich once again. 

Yes - that is the same chicken!

Egg production should bounce back up after molting is complete (though remember that as the days shorten, most birds will not lay as well as they do in the spring and summer).

And there you have it…

Oh - and be sure to check out our new sponsors on the header and left sidebar at the top of the page! 

Chicken decor, soaps and we have a 

New York Times best-selling author up there!! 

And his new book features a rooster - how cool is that??

*