⠀ How much is too much protein during molt?

[crabby chickens]

Our girls go half naked during molt and go from 5-6 eggs each to 0-1 egg a week during that time. I've heard of using game feed. Since the girls molt at different times per variety, will that extra protein hurt them while the others are molting? Molting seems to take 9-12 weeks to do the whole flock.

 

[larry529]

I increase protein during molt, and I throw in some oats even though its a low protein, and more of a fiber, but I try to mix it up and usually in about 3-4 weeks, molt is over on my end.

 

[Percheron chick]

Our girls go half naked during molt and go from 5-6 eggs each to 0-1 egg a week during that time. I've heard of using game feed. Since the girls molt at different times per variety, will that extra protein hurt them while the others are molting? Molting seems to take 9-12 weeks to do the whole flock.

No harm feeding them all game feed. Just keep the oyster and egg shells on the side for extra Ca. If you feed a lot of garden waste that is naturally low in protein, it's not a bad choice for year round feeding.

 

[DrMikelleRoeder]

Increasing nutrition level is certainly one way to help offset the discomfort of your flocks’ molting process. A 20% protein concentration, such as that provided by Flock Raiser, should provide adequate nutrition to help your birds get through this uncomfortable period. More importantly, molting is very stressful on your birds, so the most important thing you can do is keep them comfortable and try to minimize all other stresses.

If you decide to switch your nutrition to a higher protein diet, remember to transition smoothly from one feed to another. Allow a week or two to transition feeds by mixing them together (gradually increasing the amount of new product and decreasing the old product) before completely switching over to the new feed. This will help avoid digestive upsets and will give your birds a chance to get used to the idea of a new diet.

Other things to keep in mind – give them plenty of space (4 sq. ft./bird inside and 10 sq. ft./bird outside), wait until after the molt to add new flock members, allow constant access to clean, fresh water and make sure that your ladies always have soft, clean bedding.