For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

[junebuggena]

The poor girl is miserable. 11 months old and molting hard. She dropped over half the feathers on her body on the night of the solstice. She's been huddled in the back of the coop for a week. The highs have been mid 40s, lows in the 30s.

This one did a hard molt just after Thanksgiving. She's nearly done growing in her new feathers, but she needs to gain some weight before she will be ready to lay again.

 

[Robeenop]

The DE does work. It's like little pieces of glass cutting thru the exoskeleton of insects. Also, if you keep a fairly clean coop, have a place to dust bathe you are set. Sevin makes ME sick, just like my dogs can't just use what ever on them either.

 

[Happy Chooks]

And I was beginning to think that I wouldn't have a bird this year with a horrific molt.........

My worst molting bird this winter, my homemade Black sex link. She is a superb layer of jumbo sized eggs. She is about 1/4 or less of her normal weight. She is usually a pretty hefty hen as her mom is a barred rock, but she's lost a terrible amount of weight already due to losing so many feathers at once.


And a couple of my 8 month old Welsummers that are molting.

Hackle and tail feathers.

 

[aart]

1/4 of her usual weight?!
Did you actually weigh her before and after?

Certainly looks 1/4 sized...but do feathers weigh that much?

 

[Happy Chooks]

No I haven't weighed her, but I have picked her up and she is considerably lighter. Ill try to find a picture of her more normal size.

 

[aart]

No I haven't weighed her, but I have picked her up and she is considerably lighter. Ill try to find a picture of her more normal size.

Well, we know they often look 3-4 times their actual size with all those feathers...
...I think that's a big part of the shock to our eyes when they do a hard molt.

 

[lynnc1120]

Poor babies

 

[RoosterDon]

I am in year three and have not had any molt on me yet. I wonder why? I read in this thread that increasing protein will help during their molt, does this mean that a higher protein diet might prevent molting? I treat my flock to raw hamburger meat 2-3 times a week, I am wondering if this has maybe prevented the dreaded molt?????

 

[Happy Chooks]

I am in year three and have not had any molt on me yet. I wonder why? I read in this thread that increasing protein will help during their molt, does this mean that a higher protein diet might prevent molting? I treat my flock to raw hamburger meat 2-3 times a week, I am wondering if this has maybe prevented the dreaded molt?????

I doubt higher protein would keep them from molting. I feed 20% feed all year, and my birds molt. Do you light your coop? That may have held it off some, or made a molt that you wouldn't notice.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I am in year three and have not had any molt on me yet. I wonder why? I read in this thread that increasing protein will help during their molt, does this mean that a higher protein diet might prevent molting? I treat my flock to raw hamburger meat 2-3 times a week, I am wondering if this has maybe prevented the dreaded molt?????

I doubt higher protein would keep them from molting. I feed 20% feed all year, and my birds molt. Do you light your coop? That may have held it off some, or made a molt that you wouldn't notice.

X2 what Happy Chooks said. Protein does not prevent a molt but it does support the protein requirements the birds have when they generate all those new feathers.

A molt should not be considered "dreaded" or unnatural or something to be prevented. It is a natural part of life in birds. You should WANT your birds to molt, that is how tattered, old feathers are replaced with healthy new ones that do a better job of protecting the birds and keeping them warm.

I've had birds that did not go through a heavy, full body molt until their third fall but they did have light molts before that.