Tis the Season to Molt

Molting is serious business

Since spring, Oyster Cracker has been plagued with a bald spot on the back of her head. I kept hoping that feathers would soon grow in that naked little spot, yet none came. I waited for months. Then, through one of my blog followers, Matt, I learned that the spot would remain bare until she molted. Deep within the skin were portions of broken off feathers. Her body was fooled into thinking that those feathers were still intact. Yesterday, I noticed that her bald patch was finally showing tiny barbs of new immature feathers called pin or blood feathers. They are rolled into a cylindrical shaped tube wrapped in keratin. As the chicken preens, the keratin sheaths are removed and new feathers seem to bloom into existence. This could only mean one thing. The girls are beginning to molt.

Molting (or Moulting, as they spell it in Great Britain) is for most chickens, an annual process in which all of their feathers are replaced. Molting typically occurs in the fall and can start anywhere from September to November. All birds molt in order to replace their existing feathers. Replacing their body's feathers entirely allows birds to insulate their bodies better in winter, remain weatherproof and fly away from predators. The entire molting process typically takes about 12 weeks, keeping in mind that it takes 9 weeks to make a feather.

Molting begins on the head first, followed by the neck, breast, wings, back and tail. Sometimes, it is difficult to notice early molting as the feathers are small. However, by the time molting occurs on the body, the larger sized feathers are difficult to miss and so numerous, that it appears that a chicken has surely disappeared, leaving a copious amount of feathers behind. Molting is a stressful process on the flock. It requires large amounts of protein. Feathers are comprised of 85% protein. The other process that requires high amounts of protein is egg laying. Therefore, during the molting process their reproductive systems will go dormant. Egg laying ceases. Their bodies are focusing on replacing hundreds of feathers.

Even though the molting process is stressful, chicken owners can make a difference to the lives of the hen's during these times. It is possible to keep molting hens happy. Here are some tips to help the rate of the molting process and promote the health of your backyard flock:

Diet:

Be sure the chickens are getting enough protein. During the molt, instead of treating the flock to vegetables and fruits try dried blood worms, dried meal worms, sunflower seeds, mashed up hard boiled eggs and plain yogurt instead.

Avoid giving the flock too much scratch. It does not contain enough protein.

Add a vitamin and electrolyte supplement to their drinking water.

Add 1 tablespoon per gallon of apple cider vinegar to their drinking water to help minimize stress.

Provide clean drinking water daily.

Environment:

Avoid stressing your birds. Keep them in familiar surroundings. Avoid things like introducing them to the neighbor's new dog.

Maintain an optimal molting temperature between 70-80 degrees F.

Keep the flock safe from predators.

Avoid disease.

Keep the coop and run clean.

Keeping these tips in mind, should help the flock molt smoothly. Once the molting completes, their feathers will be beautiful and new. They will feel incredibly silky and your tender loving care will be rewarded with their delicious homemade eggs.

Resources:

http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/general-chickens/chickens-moulting.html

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=859

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/27_2709.htm

Photo Credit: Tilly's Nest