Molting – What is it and how can you help your chickens?

Our chickens are molting. If you are new to raising chickens, this can be quite worrisome. Molting is when chickens lose their feathers replacing them with new feathers. With a hard molt, some chickens will look sickly and bald.

When does molting start?

The first molt happens around 6-8 days old when the chick’s down is lost and replaced with feathers. The next molt is between 7-12 weeks of age when these first feathers are lost and replaced. If you have a rooster, this is when you will start to see his beautiful tail feathers.

Once they reach 16-18 months old, they will molt annually.

Molting can start anywhere between late summer or early fall.  Hazel was the first of our girls to start molting in October and Trixie was the last starting around Thanksgiving.

I think our birds molt later than others since it doesn’t really get cold in Texas until January.  My friends in the Northern states that have chickens are done molting by October. 

Molting takes about 2 months on average but can be as short as 4 weeks and as long as 12 weeks.

Molting starts at the head and neck, working its way down the back with the tail feathers last.

Some chickens will go through a light molt and you may not even notice. Some will go through a hard molt with feathers everywhere, looking like a predator attack.

Why do chickens molt?

Molting is a natural occurrence. Damaged worn-out feathers will not keep your birds warm during winter. So chickens molt to replace them. Birds stay warm by puffing up their feathers and trapping air in between, insulating themselves.

Generally, as winter approaches and daylight decreases, it signals a few changes for the chicken’s body. Egg production stops or decreases, and the molting starts. 

When Hazel started to molt, I checked her for parasites (I’m a little OCD about our chicken’s health). 

As new feathers (called pinfeathers) come in, you will notice a waxy casing surrounding them. This protects the feathers as it grows out. The casing will either fall off or the chicken will remove them when preening. They may look like dandruff.

Pinfeathers are quite painful to the birds when handled. I’m not sure what it feels like, but I assume something like a pin sticking them.

Earlier this week, in addition to molting, Trixie appeared withdrawn and lethargic. Herb thinks she had an impacted crop, so we brought her in for a night in our “sickbay.” After giving her olive oil and some water, the next morning her crop was clear, and she was back to her old self. When Herb picked her up to take her outside, she let out a gut-wrenching squeal. Nothing like I’ve ever heard.

What can you do to help your chickens during a molt?

• Increase their protein intake to 20-22%. DuMor has a starter/grower feed that has 20% protein and NatureWise has a meat bird feed that has 22% protein.
• Supplement their feed with high protein treats – we give canned cat food, tuna, hot dogs, scrambled eggs, and always mealworms and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds).
• Still limit treats to 10%.
• Avoid handling your birds.
• Put apple cider vinegar (ACV) in their drinking water. Some people take ACV daily. It’s claimed to have many medicinal benefits, although, there is still some debate about this. For your chickens during molting, it helps boost their immune system. You want to choose ACV with the mother, which is unfiltered and not pasteurized.
• Make sure your coop is free of drafts. Many chickens will be bald in spots. You want them to be comfortable and not cold.

What else could cause molting?

Broody hens may molt after their broody period is over. While broody, they only leave the nest for a few minutes during the day. This naturally decreases water and food intake which may prompt molting.

Stress will cause chickens to molt. 

Inadequate nutrition can also cause molting. Make sure you are using a quality layer feed and not giving too many treats.

Pecking order injuries can mimic a molt. Monitor your birds to ensure no one is being bullied.

Other things to consider:

Generally, your birds will not lay while their body is concentrating on new feather growth. It takes a lot of protein to produce new feathers and eggs. Feathers are composed of 85% protein.

Some people will add artificial light to the coop to help increase egg production. If you decide to do this, add in the morning so they can roost in the evening and not get caught off guard with the artificial light.

Pinfeathers are full of blood. If your chickens get picked on while molting and the pinfeathers bleed, you may see more pecking injuries and possibly cannibalism. Using BluKote will help.

I’ve read that chickens should act normal during this process. Ours still forage, eat and drink normally but they tend to withdraw avoiding close proximity to each other.  

If yours are not acting normal, be sure and check for other signs of illness. Similar to us when going through stress, they will be more susceptible to illness and injury. Keep a close eye on them.  

I can’t wait for this period to be over. We spend a lot of time outside with our chickens, hanging out and holding them. Hopefully, it ends soon and the girls will look gorgeous when it’s done.