What To Do For Your Chickens During Fall

It’s Fall Yall! The leaves are falling and it’s finally cooled off. We had some 80-degree days last week and bam the lows are now in the thirties. It’s the perfect time to work in the chicken coop but what should you do for your chickens during Fall? 

Molting

Fall coincides with the molting season. Our poor chickens look pitiful. Molting is when your chickens lose their old feathers and replace them with new feathers. This is a natural occurrence to help them prepare for the cold months. Your chickens have had these feathers for a year and some are probably broken and worn out, which won’t keep them keep warm. 

Molting takes a lot out of your chickens and the new pin feathers are painful until they’ve grown in. Avoid picking up your chickens unless absolutely necessary. I occasionally will give vitamins and ACV (because it makes me feel better to do something for them) during their molt and it can’t hurt.

Also, your girls won’t lay eggs while molting. Their bodies are concentrating on growing new feathers which take all their resources. 

To learn more about molting, read my original blog post. 

High Protein Treats for your Chickens during Fall

At different times, you may want to give high-protein treats, and molting is a perfect time. Your chickens need protein to grow new feathers. We give mealworms year-round but what else can you give?

In years past, I’ve supplemented the girl’s regular layer feed with grower/starter feed or meat bird feed. I’ve mixed it half and half so I didn’t cause upset tummies. Sounds ridiculous when you are talking about your chickens, but I can tell you that you don’t want to deal with diarrhea on top of everything else! 

We also give black-oiled sunflower seeds (BOSS) and whenever they are on sale, the girls love fresh corn on the cob. With the cooler temps in the evenings, they also get scratch. Check out my blog post for more treat ideas.. 

Chicken’s Comb

The chicken’s comb can tell you a great deal about how they are doing and feeling. The main function of the comb is to control and maintain your chicken’s body temperature. During extreme temps, I keep a close eye on their comb. 

The comb should be bright in color and not flat. During a molt, you may notice that it’s just the opposite. A flat comb could be a sign of illness so monitor your bird’s behavior. If they are acting fine and doing everyday chicken things, I’m sure they are okay. 

For more helpful tips about combs, be sure and read The Chicken’s Comb – What Exactly Is It?

Coop Maintenance

Fall is a great time to do some maintenance around the coop. Predators are preparing for Winter and looking for food sources to up their fat stores. Check your coop and run for any missing boards or hardware cloth that may have come loose. Look for any holes. Also, check the roof and do any repairs. 

I raked out all the old bedding and throw it in the compost bin. This is a great time to do a thorough cleaning and replace the old bedding with fresh to prepare for Winter. 

Check out the blog post How to Prepare Your Chicken Coop for Winter for more helpful tips. 

Fall is a hard time for your chickens. The grass and plants have died off and there’s not much for them to scratch around in. We buy hay bales to put in the coop. The first one we let them spread around, I’ll throw scratch in and this will keep them busy for a while. The second bale we keep intact as long as possible. The girls will hop up on it giving them something else to do. 

If you have any other tips, let me know. I’m always looking for new ideas.  If you have time during the holiday season, think about making a homemade suet block. Your chickens will love it.