Early MOLTING!!

[StellaDuck]

My baby Blue Indian Runner Duck just layed her first egg on December 3rd. She was pretty steadily laying an egg a day. Well, last week or the week before sometime, she stopped laying and started molting! In January!

1) Is this normal this early...i live in the bay area Califronia, so fairly temperate weather. 50 degrees this time of year. 40 and 30s at night.

2) Do most ducks stop laying when they are molting, and do you think this is why she stopped laying?

3) Is there anything I can do for my girl to make this time healthier for her? I heard protein is needed during molting so I made her some Quinoa last night and she ate it. Anything else you can recommend? I'm a new mommy.

Thanks

 

[AdamD77]

Hi and

1. My runner girls have all been moulting for a few weeks, not majorly but quite a few feathers (I'm in England, so completely different weather at the moment! I think the timing really does vary from bird to bird/flock to flock, and as long as they aren't moulting many times a year or never stop moulting heavily I wouldn't have thought you would need to worry

2. I think the moulting probably is the reason for her stopping laying - moulting and growing all those new feathers takes a lot of energy and resources, so if she stops laying during this period she can concentrate on getting herself looking pretty. Speaking of looking pretty, do you have any photos to share?

No one on here can resist some lovely duck photos!

3. I'm not too sure about what else to give but I think extra protein can be important. I'll leave this for someone else to answer.

 

[gofasterstripe]

I have 3 moulting just now, my yard looks like a big pillow fight took place. The poor ducks look a mess with feathers missing all over the place. They shorted me on eggs a few weeks ago but its only been the past week that they realy started to loose feathers. Poor Miss Priss has no flight feathers at all but I can see the new ones coming in, not that she will ever get her fat booty off the ground. She might be missing feathers but she still likes to show the cats whos boss when they get a flea up their ass and run into the ducks yard.

 

[PlumTuckered]

My 16 month old Pekin Gal has been in a heavy molt for the past two weeks, she had bald looking spots on her and we had below zero weather and snow. Today she's got flight feathers about half an inch long and the weather has really warmed up (high 70's) so she's no longer shivering and needing me to bring her in the garage LOL.


Michelle

 

[Wifezilla]

They normally stop laying when they molt. My Welsh Harlequin Shelley looks horrible right now.

 

[janastasio]

I have multiple ducks in moult right now. Mine vary at different times of the year. My small ducks (calls) usually moult this time of year. We have some runner also moulting or just finishing and I have found my medium weight ducks usually moult in the summer. At least mine vary it during different times so that they don't leave my high and dry on eggs!

 

[StellaDuck]

Full grown Stella before she started molting. Stella Duck and Lucy the Chicken at the bottom. Lucy is not ours but she lives on our private road and likes to hang out with Stella since they are both completely free range with the exception of a locked duck house from dusk to dawn. I have to share that next, built it myself.

 

[rebcart1905]

I have a piggy back question for this thread--- My ducklings are about exactly 2weeks old, I have 3 blue runners and 5 Buffs--- one of my blue runners in particular looks to be moulting its "fluff" already on its back....is this pretty normal for this age???? or could it be something else???

 

[Amiga]

They grow quickly, and start shedding baby feathers. I recall tail feathers being first to go, but I am sure there is some variation. They don't have a spot in the brooder where they can wiggle up under something and rub their feathers off, do they?

 

[rebcart1905]

Nope no spot to rub that I know of! And that is what is going first, its on his lower back/tail feather area, looks like more feather growth underneath too but just wanted to clarify, my runners seem to be more spotty than my buffs for coverage/moulting...