As chicken feathers are composed of keratin – just like our hair and nails are! – the best way to help a chicken go through molting is with protein-rich foods. In order to regrow feathers they need an adequate supply of proteins.
As your chickens transition through their molting cycle, offer additional snacks with plenty of energy and protein such as mealworms or chunky peanut butter.
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1. High-Protein Feed
Molting is an essential and natural part of chicken lifecycle. To keep them as healthy and safe as possible during this period, be sure to provide them with protein-rich diet for healthy feather regrowth.
Feathers are composed of keratin, an essential protein found in hair and fingernails. However, due to chickens not having the capacity to store keratin for future use, when it comes time to shed and regrow feathers they require high levels of this essential substance in order to do this efficiently.
To support your flock, try switching their food to high-protein complete feed such as Purina Flock Raiser which contains 20% protein and other necessary nutrients for molting chickens. Consider offering additional protein-rich treats like mealworms, black oil sunflower seeds or sprouted lentils; but use sparingly so as not to disarrange their nutrition balance.
2. Herbs
Molting can take anywhere from weeks to months for chickens, so when the time comes they require extra protein in their diet to help with growth. Their feathers contain keratin which requires lots of dietary protein for proper development.
Herbs can be an effective way to strengthen the health of your flock during molting season. You can add cooling herbs like mint and chamomile directly into feed or make an herbal egg custard using eggs, plant-based milk, garlic cloves, dandelion greens and turmeric as ingredients.
This gloppy mix is easy for layer flocks to digest, while the herbs provide natural flavor enhancement. Offer it free-choice alongside their regular layer feed.
3. Pumpkin Seeds
Chickens molt every year and require an abundance of proteins such as chicken meal and fish oil to aid with the process and regrow their feathers. Feeding your flock these supplements during this challenging period can ensure their feathers regrow properly and faster.
Chickens love eating pumpkin seeds, which are packed with vitamin A and other essential nutrients. Plus it’s an easy and cost-effective way to enrich their coop!
Pumpkin seeds are an effective natural de-wormer for chickens, both as a treat and mixed into their feed. According to studies, pumpkin seed extract is effective against various worm species commonly found inflicting poultry such as roundworm and tapeworm infestation.
4. Spinach
Green vegetables like spinach, kale and Swiss chard contain abundant nutrition that will give your flock the energy needed for molting. Just remember to cook or peel all leafy greens first as some contain toxic compounds like oxalic acid that should not be fed directly.
Cucumbers make an enjoyable treat for all flocks, but especially so for molting chickens because their high water content helps soothe their throat. Cucumbers can be fed either whole or frozen to extend freshness into fall and winter months.
5. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds provide a high-protein snack that can support molting chickens during their fall molt. Furthermore, sunflower seeds contain natural sources of keratin which makes up feathers, hair and fingernails – essential components in their transition process.
Chickens require plenty of protein throughout the year, but especially during molting they require even more to grow new feathers. You could try switching their feed for one with higher-protein content like Nutrena Feather Fixer or adding in extra sources such as mealworms and sunflower seeds for maximum impact.
Harvest your own sunflower seeds by husking their heads in late summer and covering them with cheesecloth or twine for storage in a coop or garage – keeping the seeds fresh throughout winter!
6. Chunky Peanut Butter
Chickens undergoing molting require a high-protein diet in order to promote feather regrowth. At this stage of life cycle, they need a time when they shed old and damaged feathers while growing new ones ready for winter’s cooler temperatures. Handling should be gentle during this stressful process as well as having enough nutrition and an anxiety-free environment in which to accomplish their journey successfully.
Oven-fresh eggs will likely stop being produced during this season as part of their defensive mechanism to conserve energy for regrowth. A diet rich in protein-rich foods may help them get through it quickly and efficiently.
7. Nuts
Your flock will appreciate high protein snacks during molting season such as shelled or hulled pumpkin seeds and black oil sunflower seeds that are easy to find and rich in essential linoleum oils, protein and methionine.
Feed your chickens high-protein food when they are molting to promote feather growth and ensure healthy feather regrowth. Molting is a natural process in which chickens shed old, worn out or damaged feathers to regrow fresh new ones in preparation for winter weather conditions; during this process it can be taxing and she may require extra protein for support during this regrowth phase.
