All these feathers!!!

[BarnyardChaos]

OMG every time I check on the birds, the feather layer gets deeper and deeper! It looks like a few pillows exploded in the run and coop. They're blowing all over the yard, into the garden, across the driveway.... I even found feathers in the garage! Not to mention how they show up in the laundry, sweeping the floor, in the vacuum cleaner - next I'll be picking them out of dinner plates!

Soon the birds will be naked, or at least look like they've just come from a very BAD hairstylist. About 1/3 of my flock (25 +/-) are going into their first 18-month molt. Another third, their annual fall molt. The rest are chicks, going through juvenile molt. Everybody all at once! I expect to get lots of good molt pictures this year!

How is the molting going in your flock?

 

[gtaus]

You must have a lot of chickens! I only have 10 chickens, and they don't all molt at the same time, so I never had to deal with too many feathers. I leave the feathers in the coop and/or run. The chickens will either eat them if needed, or the feathers will turn into compost. From what I understand, feathers are a great source of protein, and great for composting, so if you have feathers flying all over the place, I'd collect them up and put them in a compost bin.

 

[PopoMyers]

My 18 month olds are just starting one is just finishing as she hatched chicks at the end of July. And then the babies (7 weeks) are going through I think what might be their final juvenile molt. So just starting til look like a pillow fight here!

Just about the same here, 7 wk. chicks, year old brahmas, and some older girls getting ready to. Mama hen got taken by coyote, but she was beginning to molt.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Ok and it's not so much the expense but the Crack like behavior exhibited by the hens when they eat it. Have you experienced anything like that?

Oh yes, every single day! Any time the birds see me with a container in my hand. It could be a bowl, box, bucket, coffee can, plastic tub, you name it. They go wild. They think they're getting treats and usually, they are. Scraps from prepping dinner, or their daily bit of scratch. Heck, I could even put their regular feed pellets in a can and toss that around, and they STILL think it's a party. (I do that sometimes, just for laughs.)

I'm guessing here, but I think your birds may be having the same reaction - not because it's oyster shell, but because it's the same behavior you exhibit when they get a treat.

 

[WIchickMama]

My 18 month olds are just starting one is just finishing as she hatched chicks at the end of July. And then the babies (7 weeks) are going through I think what might be their final juvenile molt. So just starting til look like a pillow fight here!

 

[picklestheduck]

OMG every time I check on the birds, the feather layer gets deeper and deeper! It looks like a few pillows exploded in the run and coop. They're blowing all over the yard, into the garden, across the driveway.... I even found feathers in the garage! Not to mention how they show up in the laundry, sweeping the floor, in the vacuum cleaner - next I'll be picking them out of dinner plates!

Soon the birds will be naked, or at least look like they've just come from a very BAD hairstylist. About 1/3 of my flock (25 +/-) are going into their first 18-month molt. Another third, their annual fall molt. The rest are chicks, going through juvenile molt. Everybody all at once! I expect to get lots of good molt pictures this year!

How is the molting going in your flock?

Same here. My poor birds look half naked

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Same here!!! Even the two 11wk old.. my hens are 18months old too.. I guess this is their first real molt. Feathers all over!! I have everyone on chick feed and mixed layer feed in another feeder. I don’t thick the chicks should be eating too much layer feed? Too much calcium or something. Please correct me if I’m wrong
I’m wondering if any indication of a harsher winter?

No they shouldn't be eating layer feed. My suggestion would be to switch everyone to a 18%-20% flock raiser or all flock with free choice grit and oyster shell on the side, you'll never have to play the food swap game again because everyone from chicks to roosters can eat it.

 

[janiedoe]

Same here, so many feathers floating around. Mine do not usually molt this early.
I have upped the protein. Sardines, scrambled eggs at least 1x per week. Mine are eating Kalmbach 20% flock maker. I have around 50ish chicks, juveniles, and adults, from 6 weeks to 7 years old. Rehoming some of the cockerels soon, so I should be down to 40ish by spring.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not so many feathers flying around yet with only 2-3 girls molting seriously (plus a tailless rooster), but a sad deficiency of eggs.

Are their eggs shells same as oyster shell? l…I do both in a mix tray

Giving them their eggshells back is good, but they need more than just that.

I buy the 50# bag of oystershell (actually marked "calcium grit) for only a little more money than the 10# bag.

 

[3KillerBs]

Where are you getting yours? I buy a 50-lb bag from our feed store, maybe $12, lasts me a couple of years with 50+ chickens. I did a quick search: For a 5-lb bag, I found Walmart and Petco have it for less than $9. Tractor Supply carries a 50-lb bag for $14.99, and 5-lbs for $7.49.

Yeah. The trick is to buy the big bag.