Forced molting?

[mrkep]

I was talking to a man who has raised chickens for 30 years, and when we talked about molting and how bad the chickens look at this time of year, he said that he takes away the water supply for 2 days and that forces the chickens to molt. He does it in September so they are re-feathered by cold weather.
So has anyone heard of this ? My flock always seems to wait until the first freezing spell to start molting so they are all half feathered by this time . Never had one freeze to death, so I never worried about it.
Thoughts?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

No forced molt will ever take place on my watch either by removing water or feed. That sounds like some industrial BS to me and the reason I raise chickens is for the humane aspect and to have them better than the industry.

IMHO, birds will do what they're gonna do. That includes laying and molting. None of my hens molt at exactly the same time. And I like it that way because I still have eggs.

I have had ladies not molt until mid Dec/Jan and worried they might be cold. But like you, never had an issue YET.

What one person or another does... doesn't make it right for you. Every situation and perspective will be different. To me forced molt is just WRONG and stressful. So do what makes sense to you and what makes you feel comfortable.

 

[mrkep]

That was also my opinion. It sounded wrong to me so I wanted others' opinions.

 

[Folly's place]

Forced molting is/ was done in commercial flocks to manage the hens in the most economical way possible, Not humane, IMO, and won't happen here either. My birds are several different breeds and ages, and molt at different times (several right now!) and I like it that way. Mary

 

[Teila]

Apologies in advance for my quirkiness but if I take water away from my chickens for 2 days in September in Aus, moulting is going to be the least of their worries RIP chickens!

Seriously though, I agree that it is not something I would consider and the gals can moult if and when they want to on their schedule, not mine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do not attempt a forced molt at home by withholding water or food, period. When industry uses a forced molt it's under the care of a veterinarian.

When a commercial laying flock has laid continuously without a molt for a certain period of time the egg production drops and egg quality problems increase to a point that it is no longer economical to feed them. They are forced to make a decision to stay in business, either force a molt or get rid of all the hens and bring in fresh pullets. They weigh different factors but forcing a molt around 65 weeks of age is pretty common.

Different states and different countries around the world often have rules or laws about how a commercial chicken flock can be induced to molt. There have been different methods used in the past to force a molt, some are probably still in use in some places. These can be withholding water, withholding food, and/or manipulating lights. Industry has done a lot of research on this as you'd expect. Public opinion and laws have had an effect on how most go about it, in some countries more than others.

The current approved method in the States involved reducing nutrient intake to cause a weight loss, they’ve found by research just how much weight loss is required for optimum results. They do not totally withhold food but the amount of nutrients are reduced under the advice of a veterinarian that is monitoring the flock. Different flocks require different nutrient levels as they progress. They do not withhold water. They do manipulate the lights to add that effect to start the molt.

They also have certain diets and light regimens to help them recover from the molt and get back in production. They have experts monitoring the flocks during this process, weighing them and keeping track or everything. We are not experts, even if I weighed my flock daily I would not know what to do with that information.

The only way I’d even suggest any of us try to induce a molt would be manipulating the lights if they have been extending daylight so they keep laying, but the logistics of doing that could be challenging. I do not use lights to extend the day.

The reason given to induce a molt is so they can feather back out before the weather turns cold. I see this as treating a problem that doesn’t exist. Mine molt whenever they want to. Sometimes they are pretty bare when it is pretty cold, it doesn’t seem to bother them. I’d consider the risk from trying to force a molt much greater than any risk from cold weather when they are molting.

 

[mrkep]

Hey Ridgerunner, great information. I had never heard of this and wanted to learn just what you posted, thanks.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I just go with the flow. It is what it is. What my birds do is their biz.
As long as no parasite signs are present, I just enjoy their company, that comes with perks...(eggs).

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Another way to force molt without depriving food and water is to shorten the days by putting a shade cloth on windows and limiting them to about 8 hours of light.

 

[h2oratt]

Don't mess around with Mother Nature.