Fall is in the air. Leaves are beginning to change, garden harvesting is in full swing, temperatures are cooling down, and my yard is full of feathers.
Wait, what?!
Ahh yes… its molting season! My once beautiful birds are slowly starting to loose their feathers and look a bit raggedy.
What happened to my pretty chickens?
Molt. The time of the year when we are not butchering chickens, but you wouldn’t know it by the looks of our yard.
Feathers everywhere.
I love having families over during molt. Kids love gathering feathers and showing off their collection- have at it, there is plenty to go around!
What causes molt? Is my chicken sick?
Similar to animals with fur, chickens shed their feathers once or twice a year.
During the fall, your chickens are shedding some old feathers to get ready grow extra feathers to keep them warm during the cold winter months.
Some chickens also have a small molt in the spring where they drop some of their winter extra. The spring molt does not occur in all chickens but do not worry if it happens to yours.
Due to the added exertion their bodies go through growing new feathers, their egg production may slow down or halt for a brief period of time.
Related: How to Keep Your Chickens Warm in Winter
Egg production may pick up again for a bit depending on when the chicken molts. However, most chickens start slowing down production as daylight decreases in the fall/winter. Enjoy the abundance of eggs while you can!
Feather loss happens most often on the back/tail portion and on the breast of the chicken, although some look exceptionally pitiful and lose nearly all of their feathers.
Molt can leave your chicken looking pretty pathetic, but there is no need for concern. Soon enough she will have a beautiful plumage of feathers once again.
Although molting is natural and normal, it is important to occasionally give your chickens a once-over to make sure there are no lice or mites contributing to the feather loss.
What can I do to help my chicken?
We feed probiotics (these are our favorite!) throughout the year and this can help chickens to have a milder molt. Feeding high protein and fruits/vegetable scraps can also benefit the health of your chicken. An unhealthy chicken is more likely to have a more difficult molt.
However, overall there really isn’t anything you can do to prevent molt. It is a natural and necessary season that every chicken will go through.
Maybe do some crafting with those extra feathers and go give those ugly chickens a little more love. You know, in case they are feeling a bit sensitive <3.
Thank you for stopping by the homestead!
Until next time,
Melissa
Winter is coming! Read up on how to prepare your coop and keep your chickens nice and comfortable all winter long!
