For the new folks that haven't experienced a molt yet.

[RodNTN]

I have a couple of hens molting, can't wait to see the rest!

 

[aart]

What do I do about my repeat broody?!

Keep breaking her.....have one I let hatch in March, Have broken her 6 times since then.

 

[MIChickandGuinea]

Keep breaking her.....have one I let hatch in March, Have broken her 6 times since then.

Oh. My. Gosh. That’s not fun at all!!! I tried searching “breaking a broody” on BYC, and there are gadzillions of threads and I didn’t find a good “breaking broodies for beginners “ guide like I have been able to find on so many BYC topics. Can you recommend a good article with various things I can try?

 

[aart]

Oh. My. Gosh. That’s not fun at all!!! I tried searching “breaking a broody” on BYC, and there are gadzillions of threads and I didn’t find a good “breaking broodies for beginners “ guide like I have been able to find on so many BYC topics. Can you recommend a good article with various things I can try?

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Not shown in pic is a length of 2x4 on the floor, side to side, to give her feet a break from the wire floor.

 

[tanyabee]

Thank you for the pic for this newbie!

 

[Earthchick]

Thanks for showing. I too would have freaked out and thought mine had caught some horrible skin thing! lol Did not realize that it could get that bad. I do have a question about her comb..Do they start to look bad like that during a moult? Is that part of it too?

 

[Bound to Sea]

Hi, I have a question about molting. I have 3 hens over 4, and 4 others that range between 1 and 3 years old. All different breeds. I have not seen any have a hard molt. Never looked like they were molting at all except for a few more feathers in the coop. I do keep the light on in the coop from 5am until 9 pm regardless if they are in there or not. Is that a bad thing? Should I turn off the light? Do they need a hard molt to lay better? My oldest 3 don't lay at all. Suggestions please and thank you!

 

[aart]

I do keep the light on in the coop from 5am until 9 pm regardless if they are in there or not. Is that a bad thing? Should I turn off the light?

Has the light been on that timeline all year around for 4 years?

Do they need a hard molt to lay better?

No.
Some molt hard, most do not.

 

[Bound to Sea]

Has the light been on that timeline all year around for 4 years?


No.
Some molt hard, most do not.

Yes the light is on all year every day. They have been getting 16 hours light in coop every day. Even if they free ranging, it's on.

 

[Bound to Sea]

The reason it's on is the coop has one tiny tiny window for light and that's it.