Have you ever project a molting chicken ?
It is one of the saddest / oddest things you will believably encounter in your meter as a wimp keeper . At least , I know it was for me . The first sentence I see my chickens losing their plume I was afraid something had gone awfully wrong .
Today , I want to spill to you about molting . I ’d like to explain to you what it is , why it materialize , when it pass off , how you could prevent it , and should you attempt to prevent it .
Here are the details on molting and your chickens :
What Is Molting?
Molting is a process that your crybaby go through . They will set out going through this process annually after your bird strain the age of 12 - 18 calendar month older . This happen when their trunk fail through some hormonal changes which allow their feathers to light out and make room for raw feathers .
When you see your birds going through molting , it might alarm you at first . However , do n’t fret . Usually , the bird ’s feathers return in about 4 - 12 week , and they are back to normal with beautiful new foliage .
Plus , when your hoot ecdysis and their new feather come on you might actually terminate up with a boo that search different because their new feathers can be a different color .
When Does It Happen?
moult takes place usually towards the end of summer or during fall . You will begin to comment that your birds are in molting because not only will their plume fall out , but they will also hold back laying while they are give out through this process .
It is believed that the shorter mean solar day are what signals their bodies to make these hormonal changes which bring about ecdysis . That is why moult unremarkably happens around the fall due to the shortening of daytime hours .
When you commence to see the sun setting in the first place and fewer testis in your nest boxes , then you should begin to start looking for chickens that are molting because that is probably what is give way on inside your hen house .
However , it should be noted that hens molt every year after they reach the historic period of 12 - 18 month , and molting normally survive about 8 weeks . Yet , some molt are shorter at around 4 workweek , while some last longer at around 12 weeks .
Why Do Chickens Molt?
As refer in the beginning , birds molt because of a hormonal modification in their trunk . The actual reason for this hormonal change is because the razz ’s torso knows it is time to mend what is break .
As a human , our body can unremarkably repair themselves by simply repair what is broken . imagine about a fingernail . When we break one , we do n’t fall behind our whole nail in order for the broken part to grow back . No , our soundbox just pick up right where the nail was broken and bring about regrowth .
Well , chicken do n’t have that luxury .
When their feather start to get old or they break , their bodies ca n’t just permit them to refresh mighty where they are at . Instead , their feather must fall out completely so that way newfangled growth can come . In the wimp ’ case , it is young feathering that can come out of where they lost their older numb ones .
However , the real reason chickens do this is so they can stay in tip - top cast . With old feather , they ca n’t vanish as well . So this is just their born fashion of being in the good shape that they can be for their survival .
However , you might still be wondering why the birds do n’t put down eggs while in molt . Well , the solution is quite simple-minded . When the bird go into molt , their bodies require every little resource they have to regrow everything . If you think about it , their bodies basically restore themselves in a matter of weeks . That has to take a lot of nutrients and energy to complete this summons in such a short period of time of time .
That is why chickens do n’t lay egg while they ’re molting . They do n’t have enough nutrients leave during this clock time to put down testis and rebuild their body at the same time .
How To Stop Molt
When we first get into chicken keeping , we were as green as they make out . We had no estimate about molting and our first chickens were sr. chickens so they had reached the age of molting . Plus , get ’s be real for a moment . As we get one-time our bodies need a small extra haunt from meter to fourth dimension .
I start to note that they were lay fewer ballock , but I had read enough to make love that this could happen as the days nonplus shorter because of the lack of sun . chicken do n’t wake up as early during the wintertime ( mine are really quite lazy ! ) so they do n’t have enough prison term to get their arrangement jump - started to lay an egg .
Which you could envisage my surprisal when I go out to the chicken coop one morning to find no ball and some in earnest funny looking volaille . That is when I panicked because I thought all of my chickens had caught some horrid disease and were travel to die .
Then I calm down enough to get to the net to agnize it was molting . I observe them curiously over the day conform to only to be let off to see that their feather did indeed hail back and that my doll were more beautiful and lay best than before .
However , it was a few months afterward when talking to one of our chicken keep Quaker that he order me I could actuallystopmolting .
Naturally , my auricle perk up to that possibility . He said all I had to do was to put a light out in the hencoop and place it on an reflexive timer . That way they would preserve to reckon that it was summer , and they would bear on to lay .
So if you are in despairing indigence of eggs this winter , this method should play for your hen . Just remember to use an average light ( NOTa heat lamp ) as they cause fires and are generally not safe for your flock .
Should You Prevent Molting?
I ’m plump to tell you upfront that preclude chicken molting is a personal preference . I will not blackmail you to go one way or the other . It is your troop and ultimately your determination .
However , I will share with you both slope of the argument and what I have choose to go with .
First , those that are for stopping molting do so because they do n’t desire their boo to quit put down nor do they want their birds to get sick .
countenance ’s be honest , if you are trying to populate a sustainable lifestyle , it throws a kink in thing when the animals you reckon upon for nutrient are n’t provide you with food . A someone could starve under those conditions .
Plus , your birds are more susceptible to illness when in molt . The rationality is that their soundbox are work so hard to regenerate themselves that their immune systems are weaker . It basically care us . When we are working really heavily , we often get ill . The grounds is that our bodies are exhausted so our immune systems are weaker .
Well , your birdie are n’t so different . Not every one that keeps their birds from molt is heartless , they are just people who do n’t require to give up eggs . They do so out of trade protection for their bird and also because they genuinely need the eggs for their survival .
Second , those that allow their birds to molt usually do so because it is natural . They want their birds to be at their best which need them to go through molting and rejuvenate their bodies .
Though this does put them at large risk of sickness during those weeks of molt . Ultimately , molting seduce them stronger , healthier layer for the rest of the twelvemonth . It also gives them an edge on protect themselves frompredatorsbecause they are able to fly with their beautiful unexampled feather wings . ( I use the term fly slackly . We all know chickens do more of a flighty hop . )
at last , with all of that being said , I have actually prefer to allow my birds to go through the molting process . I do n’t like going without eggs for a few week , and I ’ve really had skirt fall ill during their moult period .
Even so , for me , I attempt to keep my flock as innate as potential . So I let them do what their body were naturally designed to do .
However , since I have wad of different old age , all of my birds do n’t molt at the same time . Last year I had a lot of my wad go through molt as they were older birds . Whereas this twelvemonth , I only had one bird moulting because I put in new birds to the slew this past natural spring and pluck off some of my erstwhile birds this fall .
However , the one bird that did moult this year taught me a very valuable lesson . She looked really one-time and tired before slough . I was in reality wondering if I should n’t just put her out of her misery so she would n’t suffer run through winter .
Then I decided to be patient . She kick the bucket through the ecdysis physical process and now she is a gorgeous and springy bird again . I infer her torso was in serious penury of some rejuvenation .
What Should You Expect With Birds In Molt?
When fall start coming around you should pay up close attention to your flock . I always keep an extra close eye on my flock during the colder months as it is the time of twelvemonth when they are more prostrate to respiratory illness ( at least I have found this to be true in my experience . )
As you are watch your flock , you will credibly commence to see feather lying around the coop . You will mark that certain chickens will misplace feather quicker than others , and they will in reality start to look like they are going bald .
However , some will just lose splotchy spots of feathers . You will get to get no eggs from the birds that are molting . It has also been report that some chickens getemotional while in molt .
Basically , what that means is that they do n’t act like themselves . They might stay more sequester by option . They might beflightierthan usual . Some might even develop an attitude . It is no unlike than when our bodies are inundate with hormone . We are n’t exactly sure how to act either so attempt to be patient with your flock during this time .
How To Help Your Flock In Molt?
The best way to serve your flock while in molt is to keep their stress levels as low-toned as potential . They are go through a rough fourth dimension physically so keeping them as calm as possible is key to them incur back to normal .
Second , come down the handling of your birds during this clock time . Their body have no protective feather in some property which means their pelt is readily available to be injured . Plus , handling stresses chickens out some fourth dimension .
Finally , increase their protein level . Protein help our trunk reconstruct . It is no dissimilar for wimp . During a clip when their bodies are work overtime to rejuvenate themselves , it is important to give them extra of that important building block .
Well , that is all of the ‘ molting ’ entropy I have for you . I go for it help oneself you to see what is shoot place in your fold .
And hopefully , it will help oneself you not be so dismayed ( like I was ) when you take the air into your hencoop one day and find your crybaby have gone bald-pated .
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