Molt: Optimize Feather Regrowth with Proper Nutrition

[redandalusian]

Bump

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I use Old Roy Dog food. The girls go crazy for it and it is high in protien. It is their daily treat and gets them back to the coop fast.

Boy would old Sam Walton get a kick outta that

 

[bugsaroo]

This is my fifth year raising chickens. I have 27 dominique breeders, 21 rhode island red breeders, 12 buff orpinton breeders, 4 frizzle cochin breeders and 18 silkie breeders. I have never had a chicken molt. My roosters will lose their sickle feathers, but never a bare bird. I feed nutrena, purena, cracked corn, alfalfa hay and treat with table scraps and bird suet. Right now I have over 500 chickens and nary a molt. They replace their feathers but it is a constant gradual process. Anyone else experience this?

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Hi all, Is there a specific time of year for molt? My Begawky lost a lot of feathers toward summers end but I wasn't sure if it was due to a major lice infestation that she came to me with. The other birds are mostly all under a year still so not expecting anything this year from them. From what I am gathering it seems like everyone is expecting molt at the fall/winter season. Why would nature be so cruel as to denude these poor birds right when they need covering the most? That can't be right, can it?

 

[ChicKat]

This is my fifth year raising chickens. I have 27 dominique breeders, 21 rhode island red breeders, 12 buff orpinton breeders, 4 frizzle cochin breeders and 18 silkie breeders. I have never had a chicken molt. My roosters will lose their sickle feathers, but never a bare bird. I feed nutrena, purena, cracked corn, alfalfa hay and treat with table scraps and bird suet. Right now I have over 500 chickens and nary a molt. They replace their feathers but it is a constant gradual process. Anyone else experience this?

That is so cool -- chickens that don't go all scruffy. Are your 500 under 18-months old? What I heard is that they usually don't molt their first year... although I have one who molted this autumn and she just started laying this year...and is just 1-year old in October.

Do you have lighting in the coops? If they don't experience the shortening of the daylight then it wouldn't trigger them to molt, I guess. My red one started molting and it was like a tree loosing leaves, then my white one chimed in and it was like snowfall. They had bare patches and pin-feathers or quill feathers poking out. They didn't want to be handled...etc. They never were completely bare - but each lost all her tail feathers. Now they look so beautiful with all the new feathers...

Hi all, Is there a specific time of year for molt? My Begawky lost a lot of feathers toward summers end but I wasn't sure if it was due to a major lice infestation that she came to me with. The other birds are mostly all under a year still so not expecting anything this year from them. From what I am gathering it seems like everyone is expecting molt at the fall/winter season. Why would nature be so cruel as to denude these poor birds right when they need covering the most? That can't be right, can it?

Molting depends upon length of day -- or light time -- so when the days shorten they generally molt. Ideally they have grown their feathers back before the really cold weather hits.

 

[Funky Feathers]

I want to try it so bad, but nobody near me sells it. I'd have to drive 3-4 hours each way to get it. This really sucks.

 

[ChicKat]

I want to try it so bad, but nobody near me sells it. I'd have to drive 3-4 hours each way to get it. This really sucks.

That's so crazy isn't it.....It would be cheaper than driving to get a delivery -- wonder if any one on the internet sells it.....

Found one:
http://mydbsupply.com/index.php/chicken-feed/nutrena-nature-wise-feather-fixer-40lb.html

google search here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Nat...7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

20-bucks plus shipping for 40 pounds...and you don't even know if the chickens will like it or how it will work.... Maybe some supplyer has the 7-pound size...anyone who finds an online source please post it. thanx

 

[CountryGeorge]

I went to a home flock presentation by a rep from Poulin grains who specialized in chickens and other birds. He suggested using Turkey grower food to aid for feather growth due to the increased protein and trace elements. My hens went through a heavy molt this year, their first real one, and looked ready for the pot for the most part and I fed them Turkey grower seeming as their egg production had dropped to nothing at the same time so they needed less calcium (I do provide oyster shell all the time free choice) and they look beautiful now. They look like full grown hens now and not pullets, kinda chunky and a bit roly-poly and look really neat. Molt finished they are back on layer food. Egg production will improve as the light gets longer no doubt but they deserve a vacation.

 

[ajlabs]

I started feeding the nutrena about 6 weeks ago and now all but one of the girls looks great.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Ok I had a kind of crazy thought here(what a surprise) but would tuna fish help for protein. Does anyone know if it would be safe to feed poultry? Just thought about it when i was putting away groceries tonight. My chickens go nuts for the bloodworms that I feed my Betta fish so maybe I could just "cut out the middleman" so to speak? Fish is great protein for people.