Greetings, Featherless Friends! I regret to inform you that it is yet again that time of year. If you've noticed your flock looking a tad worse for wear lately, it's not your imagination, darling– chicken molting season is upon us.
We can’t maintain peak plumage and optimal egg production year–round, after all. Even a sophisticated hen like myself still needs time to recharge!
But don't fear, featherless folk. I am here to walk you through this season of chickenhood.
With a bit of education and some key tips to support your prized poultry, we can ensure your flock comes out of their molt even better than before!
What is Molting in Chickens?
Put simply, molting in chickens is a mandatory makeover. Feathers are essential to keeping us warm in the winter and cool in the summer — and each fall, we get a brand new set! The shortening of daylight hours and our natural hormonal cycles tell our bodies that it’s time to shed those dusty old feathers (so last year!) and replace them with sparkly new ones.
Over the year, our old feathers become worn and sparse, making them less than ideal for shielding us from the cold wind.
This is our way of ensuring our "winter coats" are in prime condition for the winter weather ahead. The process is marked by feather loss, giving the most unfortunate of us the appearance of a plucked turkey!
Old feathers that Henrietta dropped during her molt
When Do Chickens Molt?
Adult hens, like myself, typically begin our molt at the beginning of fall (usually around September); however, it may be earlier or later, depending on the climate and where we're located. Likewise, diet, age, and stress levels can affect when chickens molt and how long it takes.
Henrietta & her brother as a babies before their first molt to replace the baby "fluff" with their first set of feathers
Young chickens go through two separate molting seasons during the first few weeks of life. At around a week old, they'll start to drop that adorable baby fluff and their first set of feathers will appear! Eventually, they'll shed these too, around 7 to 12 weeks of age, when they finally get their very own set of adult feathers!
These adult feathers will keep them warm and cozy until they experience their first adult molt, around 14 to 18 months.
Baby chicks going through their 2nd molt
What Are The Signs of Molting in Chickens?
There are several signs that your chickens are molting, or getting ready to molt. These range from very subtle signs, such as a decrease in energy, to very obvious ones, like dropping a massive amount of feathers (think the morning after a pillow fight!).
Here we see bald patches and pin feathers growing in during the molt
Signs of molting include:
- Decreased egg production (or stopped egg production)
- Behavioral changes (becoming more skittish)
- A dandruff-like substance covering the coop
- Decrease in comb or waddle size
- An increase in dropped feathers
- Discolored combs and waddles
- Low activity levels or lethargy
- Decreased vocalizations
- Eating less than normal
- Bare patches of skin
- Hiding
Henrietta demonstrating how her comb has taken on a "washed out" appearance at the beginning of her molt
Hard Vs. Soft Molts
Chicken keepers sometimes classify our molts as hard vs. soft molts. A hard molt is when a hen drops her feathers very quickly (sometimes seemingly overnight), whereas a soft molt is more gradual and much less noticeable. Hard molts can be very difficult on us chickens, since our feathers are essential for temperature regulation, safety, and comfort! It can also affect how well we fly, leaving us vulnerable to predators.
Henrietta in the beginning stage of her molt
How to Help Chickens With Molting
Here are a few ways you can better support your flock during their time of need.
Henrietta & her mom (Emily) getting some snuggles in before molting season starts!
Avoid handling your chickens as much as possible
Pin feathers are extremely sensitive or even painful for us hens, since they are in proximity to sensitive nerve endings, and they will even bleed if you accidentally break them.
Besides not being in a touchy-feely mood, molting makes us very vulnerable, and interaction adds to that stress. Please, handle us as little as possible during the molting season, we need some alone time!
The Featherbottom flock gets a nutritious blend of layer pellets, scratch, grub bugs, and oyster shells.
Fuel our transformation with a high-quality diet
Did you know our protein needs nearly double during molt? Our feathers are made almost entirely of grade-A protein (keratin), which we get from—you guessed it—our feed.
Fuel your flock's glow-up with quality layer pellets and high-protein treats, like grub bugs (your girls won't turn their beaks up to a hot bowl of scrambled eggs, either).
Most commercial chicken feeds contain around 16-18% protein, but during the chicken molting season, you may want to switch them to a 20% - 22% protein feed (or supplement with additional foods).
Encourage hydration
Molting really takes a toll on a lady's energy levels. You may notice us becoming more reluctant to make our way over to the water bowl. Encourage hydration by offering your flock high-moisture treats like melon, cucumber, tomatoes, and adding electrolytes to their waterers.
Henrietta getting ready to change out her nesting pads to prepare for chicken molting season
Make our coops extra cozy
One of the best ways to support us during our metamorphosis is to make our coops as warm and cozy as possible!
Take a moment to fluff up our nesting pads or add a handful of fresh, soft straw or pine shavings. A deep, soft nest feels like a warm hug and protects our bare skin.
It's the perfect time to add an extra-deep layer of bedding on the coop floor, too. Just 4-6 inches of dry pine shavings or straw will act as an insulating carpet that traps our body heat, keeping the entire coop warmer from the ground up. It also gives us a soft place to rest our sensitive bodies. Be sure to stir the shavings daily to keep them fresh and dry!
Minimize stress
Try to limit any stressors. Don't go rearranging the coop, altering our feed schedule, or introducing new flockmates during our glow-up. Thanks, MGMT!
Keep us warm
Hang some extra tarps or use spare wood to block out wind gusts until our downy jackets return. A coop heater is another great way to help us regulate our body temperature while molting, but use these cautiously! More on this below 
A Note on Supplemental Heat
This is a topic of much clucking debate! Please be very careful with heaters. Our new feathers need to be conditioned to the weather. If it's too artificially warm, they won't be properly prepared for winter.
However, on those super cold nights (especially when it's near or below freezing), some extra warmth can mean the world to us. If you choose to provide it, try to create warm pockets of air rather than heating the entire coop.
Please avoid heat lamps with exposed bulbs. They are a tremendous fire hazard and can cause dangerous temperature spikes.
I recommend a radiant panel heater that’s mounted safely away from bedding and perches—it’s simply a wonderful choice that warms us directly without posing a significant fire risk.
The golden rule: The goal is to take the harsh, dangerous edge off the cold, not to create a summer day indoors.
FAQ
How long do chickens molt?
Some chickens take up to 3 full months to complete a molt, but it can be anywhere from 8 and 12 weeks.
How often do chickens molt?
Chickens like myself molt once yearly. Consider it our annual glow-up!
Do chickens stop laying when they molt?
Egg production slows, or more often, halts during molting. Replacing all your feathers is a lot of work and is taxing on the metabolism. The extra energy we would typically use for laying pristine eggs is crucial for getting our plumage back to peak condition!
When do chickens molt for the first time?
Chickens go through two molts during their first 12 weeks of life to replace their baby fluff and adolescent feathers. Their first adult molt typically happens between months 14 and 18.
