Chicken Molting What You Need To Know

[@AngieParker-qr5lv]

You always give great tips. And education. Thankyou ❤️

[@ChuckTheRooster]

Thank you! I'm very grateful for your kind words and support. Let me know if you have any additional questions or if there is a specific video topic that would be helpful to you.

[@Crusher14]

Another great & educational video

[@ChuckTheRooster]

I'm very glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for being here on the channel! I hope you and your flock are having a great start to your fall season.

[@Forevertrue]

Thanks for this good content and helpful.

[@ChuckTheRooster]

Thank you for your kind words! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video.

[@michellebarbour5777]

Thank you for a great video about moulting. I have many moulting birds but a few who are laying and not moulting. Do you think it's ok that I'm sharing meal worms with them all as a treat? thanks for any tips from the South coast of the UK

[@ChuckTheRooster]

Absolutely! Meal worms are a great nutritious high protein treat for your flock any time of year, not just during molt. Thank you for your question. Sending you and your flock happy wishes for a great start to your fall season from across the pond. Thanks for being here on the channel!

[@hiltonhillhomestead]

Do chickens born in Spring go through a molt during their first Fall? Or in their first year of life in general, or will it be the following Spring before their first molt??

[@ChuckTheRooster]

Chickens typically go through their first molt sometime between 16-18 months old so a little over a year old. They will experience several smaller juvenile molts as they are shedding their downy chick fuzz and growing their first set of adult chicken feathers. When and how severe molt will be for your flock depends on many factors including their general health, breed, stress levels, age, and nutrition to name a few. I see the spectrum in my own flock from hard molt, meaning they appear almost totally featherless, the midrange where they lose and replace feathers in patches, and then soft molt which is barely noticeable. It has also been my lived experience in my own flock that the first molt is the most severe and subsequent molts seem to be gentler. Molting chickens also benefit from access to a dust bath, excellent nutrition, increased protein intact during molt, and calcium and grit supplement. Calcium helps build strong feathers and shells and the grit helps them properly digest their food. If they are moved on fresh pasture daily they will naturally forage grit but if they live partly or in fulltime confinement I would recommend free choice access to these supplements. I hope this info is helpful! Thank you for your question.

[@country_zone6b]

I KEEP TELLING PEOPLE TO STOP BREAKING EGGS OPEN ON THE GROUND TO FEED CHICKENS! Isaw that happen on a GREEN FARM FARMS reel. the egg was cracked and they threw it down on the grass and the chickens acted like they had never been fed!!!😭😭

[@ChuckTheRooster]

I concur feeding chickens their own eggs in this manner can lead to really undesirable outcomes. Chickens are smart and learn very quickly. Feeding them their own eggs in egg shape and in this manner would very likely lead to egg eating behavior. It is important if you are feeding chickens their own eggs to process them in some way so they are not recognizably egg shape to avoid encouraging egg eating behavior. Once this undesired behavior begins it is almost impossible to stop. Thank you for your comment!