For those of us enamored with chicken , a hen or rooster in showy fine feather touch any postcard - perfect sunset for downright loveliness . think theRhode Island Red ’s vivid cinnamon suit , the BarredPlymouth Rock ’s rig of dapper grim and ashen and the Australorp ’s iridescent night cloak — and these stock comprise only a tiny percentage of a beautiful , feathery whole .
Feathersare so integral to our birds ’ beauty that it can be disconcerting when they bulge set down all over the place , often throw the coop seem like a poultry slaughter fit . In the northwestern U.S. , where I dwell , this usually occurs in September and October just as the atmospheric condition turns cold and showery again .
“ Why do they always do this now ? ” I complained to a fellow raiser when it go on to my Barred Rock hens last fall . “ I worry they ’ll freeze . ”
She was similarly get . So I looked deeper into this mysterious process — known in the avian earthly concern as molting — to get out what I could do to advantageously facilitate my female child cope with these bad - feather days . Here ’s what I find out .
To Molt or Not to Molt
More than just fancy adornments to swoon over , feathers are a defining feature of chicken and all birds and are all-important to their survival . “ gaga birds are hard dependent on their feathering for detachment and [ with a few elision ] flight , ” saysJames Hermes , Ph.D. , an associate professor and file name extension poultry specialist at Oregon State University since 1987 . “ They need a adept radical of feathers to keep affectionate or cool , and every clip one breaks , a bird has to work hard to vanish . ”
Though flight is n’t quite as essential to our clucky companions , they , too , trust on a levelheaded feather enshroud to protect their finespun skin from wound and help regularise their body temperature . badly feathered poulet might have trouble brave a harsh winter or super spicy conditions . They might also demand to eat more to keep body temperature , meaning high provender throwaway for producers .
If feather are so important , why cast them off in such a dramatic fashion ? “ Molting is a natural part of a fowl ’s biological science , ” Hermes say . “ Unlike hair’s-breadth that grows all of the fourth dimension , a bird ’s feathers acquire to full distance , then arrest and posture there . They ’re numb material , and they wo n’t repair themselves if they break or get seedy . ”Shutterstock
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draw up of a type of fibrous protein called keratin , feathers are complex epidermic structures whose growing is regulated by an every bit complex serial of hormonal change . To supplant their old , worn feather , untamed snort exuviate most of their feathers and grow young ones every year in an neat style , with the new feathers push the erstwhile one right out of their follicle . Though some avian species , such as ducks , become flightless during this time , you plausibly wo n’t see any bald birds out there . Indeed , you would in all probability be hard - pressed to even tell they ’re molting . The number and timing of moult vary among avian species , but it usually occurs outside the fostering time of year .
Feather outgrowth and egg production are each protein- and get-up-and-go - intensive appendage , so it makes biological sentience for them to take place at different times of the year .
Our domestic laying bird approaching molting a little differently . grant to Hermes , layers kept under raw light conditions will also unremarkably undergo a moult each year , but often this physical process is uncompleted . “ It may take them two or three twelvemonth to go through an entire molt , ” he says . “ Being domesticated , they just are n’t as hooked on their feather as barbaric boo . ”Shutterstock
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Other Causes of Feather-Loss
How do you know whether feather loss results from molting or some other , more sinister cause ? start your detective workplace by paying attention to metre of year ( molting ordinarily happen in the fall ) and to the overall plumage term and behavior of each mortal .
“ Localized plumage passing — usually on the rump , back or tops of wing — is almost always due to feather picking among lot mates or overbreeding by a rooster , ” says Hermes of Oregon State University . “ Molting does n’t typically have a defenseless spot . ”
Broken , frayed feathers can also signal that another bird is the offender . Shutterstock
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Feather picking can be a barbarous hertz , Hermes excuse . As young blood line feathers sprout in the injured expanse , other Gallus gallus peck at them and like the taste . “ We ’re not sure why they start or why they stop , but sometimes , you need to separate the picked - on chick from the rest of the flock until those feather grow back . ”
international parasite — notably mites and lice — can damage your stack ’s plume as well , although these pests usually do n’t cause straight-out plume loss . An elision is the microscopical deplume mite , which burrows into the feather follicle and causes vivid itching and pain , leading the razz to pull its own feather . Any boring , unkempt feather out of doors of molting time of year calls for a snug inspection .
“ pluck up your birds and bet them over , ” Hermes says . “ Red mites will be on the doll at night , and adult lice are pretty obvious . You might see petty deposits of ball that look like cementum at the Qaeda of plumage . Lice are mostly interested in eating pelt dander but you ’ll often see holes in the feathers as well . ”
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Once you ’ve identified which parasites you ’re dealing with , process accordingly .
Molting Factors & Egg Production
Not all chickens molt in the same way or at the same time . The biggest gene regulate the molt is day length , with most domesticated fowl get down to lose their feathers as the days shorten in the nightfall . Of course , the precise timing varies depending on locating .
Breed also act upon moult : commercial-grade put fowl breeds , for instance , might reply with a more pronounced molt while fancy strain often have a less noticeable molting . nutritionary deficiencies and stress — from crowding or extreme rut , for example — can pretend molting , do birds to shed their feathering outside the usual time of year or go through a more drastic molt .
Among my own flock , I ’ve noticed molting agenda deviate even among individuals of the same breed . Some inauspicious bird drop lot of feathering at once and take longer to grow them back , while others roll off few feathering and exchange them quickly . to boot , senior birds often go through a more serious moulting than their untested fellow traveller .
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As mentioned before , wild shuttlecock usually molt outside the breeding time of year . Chickens , on the other hand , have been cover to dwell eggs year - round , which creates a bite of a molt dilemma . With level kept under born lightness , egg production slows significantly during the molt and becomes erratic because of hens ’ different moulting schedule . This is why commercial-grade farms unremarkably induce flock - wide moult with contain light and provender changes that temporarily halt egg output . Taking a reproductive “ residual ” while they molt brings the hens back into full output faster .
Some modest - scale raisers also use artificial lighting to extend day length and keep their birds laying through the winter . Still , to keep layer in full production , it ’s important to give them a break from the lights during twilight or winter so they have time to molting .
“ chicken require to exuviate , ” Hermes say . “ If you have your birds on light all of the clock time , they ’re go to molt eventually , but it wo n’t be a very good one . ”Shutterstock
Time Table
Chicks burst out of eggs covered in gentle down — part of what make them so appealing . From this point on , it seems like feather sprout at the pep pill of light , and by 4 or 5 weeks of age , the chick has a full compliment .
The growing poult undergoes another miniskirt - molt at around 8 to 10 weeks and then completes its first bounteous - bird autumn molting at around 18 month . Unless some cistron causes abnormal plume loss , you’re able to anticipate an grownup chicken to moult once a year after that .
Molting Flock Care
Nutrition is important for chickens at any clip of year , but especially so during the molting season . harmonize to Hermes , a balanced commercial dieting appropriate to the eld , stage and character of lot provides all of the essential nutrient molting birds take . For raisers who prefer to append at this time , he advises sticking to a limited amount of protein - copious extras , such as dry out mealworms , quat kibble or meaty table refuse , rather than carb - wakeless fare .
“ Eighty percent of what you function your chickens should be prepare feed , and the respite they should clean up in 10 or 15 moment , ” Hermes says . “ Otherwise , they ’ll fill up on treats and skip the beneficial stuff . ”
With their feathery insulation diminishing daily , it ’s also critical that your birds have a cozy coop or other snug shelter to protect them from the elements . Plus , because slough itself can be unmanageable on a bird , proceed your flock ’s stress levels down is important at this delicate time . If potential , postpone any major changes , such as a chicken coop acclivity , enclosure move or fresh deal addition , until after the feathers stop flying . Keep your biddies safe from harassment by favorite , nipper and predators . Handle your chickens as little as possible to annul upsetting them and to avoid damaging those growing feathers .
You ’ll probably remark slender , come forth tholepin feathers cover with a waxy finishing that break off , which will contribute to the ecumenical molting muss . You ’ll also see some large , blood - stuff pin plumage sprout , particularly obvious on the flank and tail . They ’re shout blood feathers for well intellect .
“ If broken , they run a batch and do n’t mature back well , ” Hermes says . When confronted with this anxiety - inducing situation , he advise leaving the pinion in place rather than yanking it out , which can damage the musculus if done falsely . To halt the bleeding , put pressure on the damp spot and then apply a profligate - clot agent . If haemorrhage stay on despite this intervention , the wiped out shaft will plausibly involve pulling . Consult a ex-serviceman or experienced poultry raiser if you ’ve never done this .
take note : If you routinely keep your chicken ’ wings trimmed , you ’ll need to iterate this procedure after the moulting , then keep stuffy spotter for any remain blood feathers .
It might seem like molting lasts forever , but if you provide right alimentation and care , you’re able to expect your crybaby to finish the process in eight to 12 week . Then , it ’s time to take some pictures for societal media and buss those big - plumage days goodbye .
This story in the beginning appeared in the September / October 2018 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
