Why is my chicken losing so many feathers?

Could my chicken be molting?

Have you gone into your chicken coop and found a pile of feathers?  You instantly go into panic mode and think a fox or racoon has gotten into your coop.  You do a head count and all your chickens are accounted for.  Now what? Why is my chicken losing so many feathers?

Each year your chickens will do something called molt.  It simply means they lose their feathers.  The first time this happened to my girls I have to say I panicked a little bit.  The first day I saw a few feathers in the bottom of their coop.  I questioned if they were fighting?  

The second day I saw even more feathers and then began to question what was wrong.  As I investigated the girls closer I noticed one hen had an area around her bottom that had no feathers at all.  I wasn’t sure if something was wrong because this had never happened before.  I was worried she had some sort of infection.  So, off to google I went to try and figure out what was wrong.  

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I finally found information on molting.   I didn’t think she was molting because she lost her feathers at the end of December.  Losing feathers in December in Canada was not a good decision.  It’s cold!  

Why do chickens molt?

All chickens need to molt.  They need to shed old, broken, dirty feathers to help them prepare for the upcoming winter.  New feathers will help the chicken to stay warm as the temperatures become cooler.   

Typically, a chicken will begin to molt during late fall when daylight hours decrease.  So, molting in December was a bit odd.  Once she began to molt she did not leave the coop much.  Do you blame her?  She had nothing to keep her warm.  

Help get your chicken through a winter molt!

We made sure to keep the windows shut in the coop during this time to prevent drafts.   Normally, I leave some windows open to promote airflow and improve ventilation in the coop.  

You can also add additional bedding to the coop when a chicken is molting (extra straw and shavings) to help keep them warm.  It would be like you going outside with no winter coat.  You would be chilly too!  

We also made sure she had food and water inside the coop so she didn’t need to go into the run unless she wanted to.  During this time she spent a lot of time roosting in the coop trying to stay warm.  

What can you do to help chickens that are molting?

To help speed up feather regrowth you can supplement your chickens diet with additional sources of protein.  

Fun Fact:  Chicken feathers are made up of between 80-85% protein.

Adding additional protein when a chicken is molting is essential.  Our girls get mealworms and sunflower seeds everyday in their diet but during this time we increased the amount of protein in the entire flock’s diet.  

You can also switch to a higher protein feed as well.  I would suggest you consult with your local feed store for further direction.    

When a chicken is molting, often the chicken will stop laying eggs.  In order to grow new feathers the chicken needs to put all of their energy into growing feathers and not laying eggs.  They can’t do both.  

How long do chickens molt?

Each chicken is different.  A molt can last anywhere between 3-16 weeks.  When the feathers start to grow back they almost look like porcupine quills.  It’s quite interesting to see if you have never seen feathers grow back before.

When you see these poor chickens molt they look quite sickly.  Especially when you are used to seeing fluffy chickens.  

Is a soft molt different from a full molt?

Chickens also go through a ‘soft molt’ during spring or early summer.  They typically only lose some of their feathers during this time.  You may notice a change in their colour and they don’t look as fluffy.  I know when this happens to my girls you can see more white feathers and their overall colour changes to light brown. 

A soft molt is not the same as a full molt.  Once you experience a molt you will totally know the difference.  

Molting is a natural process that all chickens will experience.  It is important to be familiar with your flock so you know when a change occurs or suspect something is wrong.  

If you are new to raising chickens, have you experienced a chicken molting before?  If so, how long did it last and when did the molt happen?  Let me know in the comments.  

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