Force a molt?

[Hollywood Chickens]

Can I force a molt? here in FL it rarely gets cold enough for a full molt, but I really want my chickens to get a break!

They had a mini molt (some neck and tail feathers) but they continued to lay while molting! I get an egg a day from each of them, and they are 2 years old and have never had a break since they started laying at 30 weeks.

I have read about starving hens (I would never do that) to start a molt and lower temps but it doesn't get cold here! It is supposed to go down to the 30's for 2 days but will that be long enough to trigger a molt?

Thank you!

 

[Judy]

Starving them is the only way I know of. They were originally tropical birds. Why worry about it? Do we actually know that a full molt was originally natural for them? (I have no idea.)

Some chickens slow down or stop laying in winter in Florida, too. Seems to me if their bodies needed a break, they'd take one.

 

[BeccaB00]

Yea, you can starve them for 2 days, and they should molt.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

they free range so starving them is not an option at all (and I just couldn't do that).

I guess you are right about them being tropical and not molting, but they look kind of tired and their feathers are all frayed, I have been feeding them higher protein since they starting mini molting and didn't stop laying eggs.