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1. Moulting
 Losing feathers and re-growing them is called molting and occurs every year
when the days get shorter.
 During molt, chickens typically stop laying eggs and use this time to build up
their nutrient reserves. Even though they are not laying, it is critical that your
chickens have a high quality diet during this time.
 Feeding a high quality ration such as NatureWise Feather Fixer during molt
will help your birds get through the molting process and back to laying eggs
as quickly as possible. Feather Fixer™ is a unique and innovative life-stage
product that can also be fed year round if desired. It has elevated levels of
protein as well as a mix of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that help
maintain healthy skin and develop strong and beautiful new feathers.

2. Top tips for feeding through the molt:
 Feed a high protein feed like NatureWise Feather Fixer that is a complete feed, so you
don’t have to worry about feeding other protein supplements to feed along with layer
feed during molt.
 Make feed available free choice
 Limit scratch to 10% of diet during molt so you don’t dilute the protein content of the
ration
 Molting and growing new feathers requires a lot of energy. Feathers are 85% protein… so
be sure your birds’ diet includes a highly nutritious feed like NatureWise or Country
Feeds that consists of at least 16% protein, or ideally, the higher protein NatureWise
Feather Fixer. You don’t need to add medications or other vitamins if you’re feeding one
of these feeds.
 Just as your chickens have individual personalities, they will go through molt differently
as well. Some lose a few feathers and grow them back in as quickly as 3-4 weeks. Other
chickens lose a lot of feathers and take 12-16 weeks to grow them back.

3. Other tips for helping chickens get through molting:
• Reduce stress as much as possible, avoid bringing new birds into the flock if possible
• Chickens should act normal during their molt – if they seem sick, something else is wrong
• Both roosters and hens go through molt
• Avoid handling your chickens during molt, it is painful for them and increases stress
Chickens will lose feathers in a sequence starting with the head and neck and then down the
back, across the breast and thighs and finally their tail feathers. The new feathers that
emerge are called pinfeathers and will grow in following the same sequence they were lost.
So don’t panic when your chickens start losing their feathers and stop laying eggs. Molting is
a normal and natural process of shedding feathers and re-growing them that all chickens go
through. The best thing you can do to help your chickens through molt is to feed a high
quality, high protein layer feed.

4. Advantages and disadvantages
 The advantages of keeping hens during the moult and the following year is fourfold:
it is cheaper to carry a bird through a moult than to buy replacement pullets
fewer replacement pullets may be needed, and buying can often be deferred, which can mean a
saving of money, time and transport
moulted birds are hardier, and not as prone to disease
if strict culling is carried out during the first year, only high producing, efficient birds will be retained.
 The main disadvantage is that although moulted birds eat less feed than pullets, they also lay
less eggs. Overall, their conversion of feed into eggs, and feed cost per dozen eggs is higher.
Other disadvantages are:during the moult the birds continue to eat but remain unproductive
if the birds are to be slaughtered for the table after two years of laying they will not be as tender to
eat
too few birds may be retained to provide sufficient eggs the following year.