Feather management during molting

[Iluveggers]

I’m just wondering what everyone does with all the feathers that accumulate during a molt? Two of my ladies have feathers EVERYWHERE the past few days. In the coop, I scoop poop every morning so I grab any large feathers I see there while scooping. There are a ton in the run also and I’m not sure if I should take them up, leave them, etc.

What do you do with all the feathers during molt? Any particular reason or just your own personal preference?

Thanks!

 

[DLA]

I've used some of the ideas from the below article. My cat's love toys made with the feathers.

https://poultryparade.com/put-your-chicken-feathers-to-good-use-with-these-16-ideas/

 

[nuthatched]

I rake them into our Dumpster.

 

[aart]

I scoop a bunch up off the poop boards when cleaning that daily(anNOYing!).
The ones in the coop floor, amongst the pine shavings, I just leave.
I rake some from under the coop(that area stays dry) and fling them around the run where they are more likely 'rot'.

 

[Sally PB]

About the same as Aart. What's on the poop board goes into the bucket, and eventually the compost bin. What's on the floor of the coop in with the shavings will go into the run in a month or so.

What's in the run, stays in the run. Just like Vegas.

 

[aldarita]

I have a ton of feathers every year at molting time. I scoop them with the poop everyday and dump them in the compost pile. On windy days, I leave them alone to be picked up later

 

[Morrigan]

I gather up large clumps -- on the roosts or collecting along fence lines-- for the compost. The rest, whether in or out of the coop, I let be. They eventually seem to break down or blow away. But I agree, it the coop and yard look such a mess this time of year.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Like many others, I scoop up larger ones in the coop as I clean up poops. The ones in the run mix into the deep litter and quickly break down. By end of winter there's no sign of all those feathers at all.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I rake the feathers from the coop out into the run. Once they're in the run I leave them. It doesn't take long for the crazy wind here to blow them all to the neighboring county.

 

[Sally PB]

Feathers contain a lot of nitrogen, due to being predominantly protein. Good for the compost and garden.