Hen is molting. Do I need to feed her with higher dose of protein?

[bridgetchicken]

My hen is molting. Her feathers easily pull out. Should I feed her with chick starter feed that is high in protein? Or is it okay to just give her standard layer feed?

 

[ChickNanny13]

It would be best to "help" her out but adding more protein to her diet. Either feed her Starter/Grower but add a separate dish of Oyster Shells as it lacks in calcium ... Or give her some extra with mealworms, tuna, scrambled eggs, moisten dry cat food for a treat.

 

[My Three Chicks]

Is she currently laying? The starter feed has increased protein but not sufficient calcium for layers.
I'd stick with layer feed (16% or 18%) and supplement with protein (egg, grubs, worms, etc.) that would be sufficient.
With my girls during molt I switch from Scratch & Peck 16% layer to 18% layer feed and give the extra high protein treats.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Need? No.
Will she benefit? Yes.
Is it worth it to you? Depends on comparative feed costs and the relative ease of feeding her vs the rest of the flock.

Part of why so many of us recommend this feed method. But if you have a flock of all adult layers, you can absolutely feed all of your birds a layer formulation, all of the time. Its the (slightly) cheaper option because layer is (or was) designed to meet the minimums at the lowest possible costs for commercial layers, in commercial conditions, under commercial management.

 

[Sally PB]

When my birds are molting -- and they all had pretty "hard" molts this year -- I add some extra protein in different ways. One is to give them Calf Manna pellets (about 1/4 cup for 7 birds) in their usual afternoon mash snack. Another is to give them some canned salmon, again, mixed with their mash snack.

Does it help? Does it make me feel like I'm helping?