Does molting affect temperment/behavior?

[sheaviance1]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=413072

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Mealworms are protein.

 

[sheaviance1]

Quote:
Mealworms are protein.

Yes, I know. I vaguely remembered reading about needing to up their protein during a molt when I first joined BYC. When the OP mentioned that they were eating the meal worms like crazy, it made me remember that post from last year. I was researching whether or not it would help to switch them to meatbird feed while molting. LOL.

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Thank you for your replies. Do BAs take a long time to molt? She started several weeks ago.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

The first giveaway that one of ours is starting a molt is spending the night in a nestbox instead of the roost. Some of them spend a few weeks there nights. We feed extra BOSS as much as possible during molts. You really have to feel sorry for the poor gals.
And now we are having a very early snow.

I'm betting the worst molters are staying indoors in the nestboxes just keeping warm.

We keep a record of when we have molts. It helps to know a certain hen *molted* for 6 months while another one only 8 weeks. Guess whose eggs get incubated?

 

[mamaKate]

Quote:
Mealworms are protein.

Yes, I know. I vaguely remembered reading about needing to up their protein during a molt when I first joined BYC. When the OP mentioned that they were eating the meal worms like crazy, it made me remember that post from last year. I was researching whether or not it would help to switch them to meatbird feed while molting. LOL.

I had mine on meatbird ration for a few weeks and I won't do it again. By the last week, my 4 eggs a day went to zero. The laying returned to normal after about 4 days of layer crumbles . I did supplement with oyster shell the entire time.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have also noticed that if only a couple of hens in the flock are going through a hard molt they seem to go down in the pecking order and have to roost separately from the other chickens. Once the feathers grow back in they seem more accepted.

 

[CMV]

BAs don't take any longer than any other bird to molt. As everyone has said- increased protein seems to speed up the process.

My flock is not actually molting because I have been battling feather pickers all year, but they are finally growing some feathers in since I culled the last two pickers. It is amazing to see how ferocious and grouchy my sweetest hens have become. They are not to be trifled with in their prickly state. My 2 most submissive hens (the ones who were badly damaged by the picking) have been chasing the more dominant hens away from them and giving them a good peck on the ear to boot. They seem to have the attitude "We are so uncomfortable that there is nothing you can do to us to make it any worse! So GO AWAY!" Poor girls. It's nice to see them fighting back for once, though.