Is it a good idea to induce a molt? UPDATE!

[jducour]

I remember reading in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks to not suddenly decrease the amount of artificial light you give them lest you throw them into an early molt.
Do you use artificial light? Maybe she would molt if you suddenly stopped using the light. That's the only thing I can think of for now...

I do use artificial light, but I don't want to induce a molt in all of my ducks if I don't have to. Four of the female ducks have already gone through a full molt a few months ago, and the males still look really well feathered.

 

[quackingdom]

I guess it isn't a preferable option, but you could separate her from the others in order to let her molt but not the others.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I do use artificial light, but I don't want to induce a molt in all of my ducks if I don't have to. Four of the female ducks have already gone through a full molt a few months ago, and the males still look really well feathered.

Why do you use artificial light. I always thought not giving them a chance to rest their bodies they will wear themselves out laying. They need a chance to recoup for all the laying over spring and summer.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She was born September last year, so I don't think she has ever molted. She was this ragged when I adopted her - all of their ducks were. Julia, the duck from the same home, has replaced a lot of her feathers, and looks much better. I thought ducks were supposed to molt in the fall? And also sometimes in the spring? Or sometimes not at all. Vitamins are a good idea - I can dose their night bucket and give it to the whole flock, right?

So she should be ready for her first big molt. Whole flock can have the vitamins. Maybe from lack of essential nutrients when she was with previous owners caused some kind of deficiency and hopefully poultry vitamins will help. I think most ducks do molt in the fall but i have read on here where others have said their ducks were molting in summer, but maybe I need to pay more attention to where they are from could be in another country and different season than us. Mine have always molted in fall.

 

[nchls school]

Wild ducks molt during the summer so their flight feathers are grown in well before they migrate. I would think that domestic varieties would follow a similar pattern.

 

[jducour]

Update in original message in blue

 

[Miss Lydia]

Update in original message in blue

??

 

[jducour]

??

I added the update to the original post - here is it

Update - Rosa hasn't laid an egg for 5 days now, and her pelvis is narrowing. I held her yesterday and a few stiff tail feather nubs came out! (she only had broken tail feathers) It looks like she is starting to molt without intervention. I will keep an eye on here, our weather is still warm, so I think she will be ok. She has some bald patches, but there are new faethers coming in finally! Yay! And a lot of the new feathers coming in around her head are pure white. Go figure. Maybe my Chocolate Runner will end up looking like @Amiga 's

 

[Miss Lydia]

I added the update to the original post - here is it

Update - Rosa hasn't laid an egg for 5 days now, and her pelvis is narrowing. I held her yesterday and a few stiff tail feather nubs came out! (she only had broken tail feathers) It looks like she is starting to molt without intervention. I will keep an eye on here, our weather is still warm, so I think she will be ok. She has some bald patches, but there are new faethers coming in finally! Yay! And a lot of the new feathers coming in around her head are pure white. Go figure. Maybe my Chocolate Runner will end up looking like @Amiga 's

Thank you I got confused,Sounds like she is doing what comes natural now AND she'll be okay. You'll have to post pics of her when she is finished.

 

[jducour]

Thank you I got confused,Sounds like she is doing what comes natural now AND she'll be okay. You'll have to post pics of her when she is finished.

No worries, I wasn't completely clear. I sure hope she will be ok, there are several spots on her body that have no down at all, and you can see her skin. The new feathers I can see are a real blessing, I love this ugly little duck more than I could have imagined possible.