Molting is the periodic shedding and renewal of a chicken’s feathers. Mature chickens usually molt once a year, at the approach of colder weather and shorter days. During winter, old tattered feathers don’t provide the same good insulation as a fresh coat of plumage. So what are the signs that tell you your chickens are molting?
Feathers Look Dull
A chicken’s feather follicles alternate between periods of rest and periods of growth. The growth period, or molt, is triggered by a change in hormones as a result of shortening day length.
When the molt begins, the germinal cells at the base of each feather follicle start a new feather. As the newly forming feather pushes out the old feather, the latter takes on a dull appearance.
Laying Decreases or Stops
A hen’s first molt usually occurs after the hen has been laying for 10 to 14 months. Since molting requires a lot of energy, most hens can’t produce both feathers and eggs at the same time. Laying therefore decreases or stops altogether. The hens of some breeds resume laying for the winter. Others don’t lay again until daylight hours increase.
Comb Turns Pale
During the molt, a hens comb appears paler than usual. And it will remain pale if the hen stops laying for the winter.
Energy directed away from laying and toward feather renewal reduces blood circulation to the comb. Hormonal changes resulting in less active reproduction also reduces blood flow to the comb. As a result, the bright red comb of a layer temporarily changes to the pink comb of a non layer.
Feathers Go Missing
During the molt, feathers fall out in a specific sequence, starting at the head and neck. Small patches of bare skin may appear where the feathers are missing (sometimes initially mistaken for overzealous mating by a rooster). As feather loss progresses down the body, loose feathers accumulate in the chicken yard and coop at an astonishing rate.
Pinfeathers Appear
The newly emerging feathers have pinlike tips, hence they are called pinfeathers (pictured). The pinfeathers contain a supply of blood to nourish the growing feather.
Each pinfeather is covered with a keratin sheath, which is a thin, fibrous tubelike structure. The sheaths come off as the chicken preens or scratches itself. In places the chicken can’t reach, the sheaths eventually fall off on their own.
Change in Behavior
Even though the process is natural, molting can be quite uncomfortable for a chicken. Therefore, behavior changes are among the signs of molting in chickens. These changes may include becoming increasingly aggressive and restless, or more stand-offish and less active — both signs that the chicken wants to be left alone.
Need for Protein
In seeking protein to produce new feathers, molting chickens may eat feathers or eggs. They may also peck at their own protein-rich blood-filled pinfeathers or those of other molting chickens. Switching to a higher protein ration will help chickens meet this greater nutritional need during the molt.
Helpful Links
How to Help Your Chickens Through a Molt
And that’s today’s news from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has written numerous books about keeping poultry, many of them available from the Cackle Bookstore.
