Molting - How long does this take?

[phaatnsassy]

my girls, hey are in their second fall, and they have not loss a lot of feathers. Is this normal? Also I was wondering if I am suppose to be feeding them extra feed at this time? lol my husband already complains that they are eating better than we do. I give them our leftovers and during the winter months I cook them up oatmeal. This is along with their normal feed.

 

[Happy Chooks]

They just haven't started yet. They will. I have some almost done with their molt, some mid molt, and some that haven't started yet.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to give them high protein treats now. Oatmeal doesn't have much protein, so I'd substitute something that does like mealworms, meat scraps, cooked eggs, milk, even juices from cooking bacon or meat in the crockpot.

 

[phaatnsassy]

Oh I thought they were in their molt now. Lol, I am only getting 3 to 4 eggs a day from nine girls. When I give them leftovers, I do mix it with their feed. I also give them freeze dried meal worms as a treat. I thought they would like slugs from our garden, but when I throw them in the coop. The girls check to see what it is, then walk away. They look at me like I was crazy to give it to them. They love bread of any kind. I do not give it to them very often, but they do love banana bread the most. My husband likes to do stir fry, with either meat or seafood they enjoy this too, especially the baby corn. So I guess what I am saying is they get a variety of food. I was thinking that I should give them more feed and less of the other.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Oh I thought they were in their molt now. Lol, I am only getting 3 to 4 eggs a day from nine girls. When I give them leftovers, I do mix it with their feed. I also give them freeze dried meal worms as a treat. I thought they would like slugs from our garden, but when I throw them in the coop. The girls check to see what it is, then walk away. They look at me like I was crazy to give it to them. They love bread of any kind. I do not give it to them very often, but they do love banana bread the most. My husband likes to do stir fry, with either meat or seafood they enjoy this too, especially the baby corn. So I guess what I am saying is they get a variety of food. I was thinking that I should give them more feed and less of the other.

Just like you, chickens get full. They will only eat about 1/3 cup of food a day. So if you feed treats, they will not eat that in addition to their layer ration, they'll eat it instead of layer pellets. That's why it's so important to think about the nutritive value of the treats. If you give lots of bread, for example, it's kind of like giving a kid a candy bar right before dinner--they will scarf down the candy bar but not eat much dinner.

 

[phaatnsassy]

Thank you for this information. I do feed them this approximately. I will start to pay better attention to what kind of treats and when from now on. And even though this is the second year, it is still my first time with chickens. I am still learning all the time. That is why I love this group. Full of information and helpful people.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I learned all this from an avian vet when I had a parrot. He pointed out to me that, based on body weight, ONE GRAPE messed up the parrot's nutrition for the entire day. I'd never thought of this before--you just don't think about how much smaller a chicken is than a human, and how much of their daily food intake one half-eaten peanut butter sandwich is (I have kids). I can throw a whole bowl of "chicken goodie" to my girls--veggie trimmings, plate scrapings from supper, those aforementioned peanut butter sandwiches--but I have close to 100 birds out there, so none of them get too much. I'd still have this much chicken goodie if I only had a few hens, but I'd have to be careful and only toss them the best of the best, and put the rest in the compost heap or save for another day.

 

[signer47]

Thank you for the articles the first article was very helpful. I have six chickens 3 red star and 3 speckled Sussex. They started molting at about 11 months of age the red star have lost hardly any feathers but my 3 Sussex look almost completely plucked. all six have continued to lay, after reading the article it says if egg production stays the same it will take longer for the feathers to grow back. I found a recipe for molting muffins that they like but their favorite is steal ground oatmeal I make an extra batch for them in the morning and add wheat germ, raisins, sunflower seeds and ground almonds. their feathers are starting to grow back in but it is a slow process, it has been 4 1/2 months and they still look awful but I am getting used to it. Since it is summer now and fishing season I buy extra worms for bait and share them with my chickens they love night crawlers. Thank you again for the helpful information.

 

[Vickery]

Can anyone tell me if when a chicken is in molt if the quality of the eggshells will suffer? I have a RIR that hasn't laid a decent egg since late spring (now Oct)...they either have a soft end, or are broken once laid (and ALWAYS have paper thin shells). I've tried everything (supplements, food changes, milk/yogurt, mixing oyster shells into favorite foods, extra protein...), and really haven't had any change. Just noticed today that her whole underside is pretty bare! She's a sweety and a decent layer but I've had some local "poultry veterans" suggest that she may have a metabolic issue. Thing is, she laid just fine eggshells for a year prior to this issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Thanks. Vickery.

 

[222danette]

Has anyone ever heard of a traumatic event throwing hens into a molt? My little flock was attacked by something in August, their egg production dwindled down to zero, the 4 remaining hens went into a molt and their behavior is different. They mope around and are very quiet. They won't leave the coop anymore unless it is bright and sunny out. I thought they were missing their rooster, so I got another one, but they ignore each other like middle school kids at a dance. They get all the layer feed with a sprinkling of cracked corn that they want. They also have daily access to whatever scraps are on the compost pile, and used to love to scratch in the garden. Is there any hope for them? I'm going to have to buy eggs for the first time in years!

 

[chickchic9]

Oh , your poor traumatized girls ! Do you have any idea what/who attacked them ?
I've not heard of this - but their behavior sounds quite similar to post traumatic stress syndrome in humans, and other animals.
I would imagine it may take an undetermined period of feeling absolutely safe, with no further attacks, before they begin to come around ...

Good luck !