The short answer
Molting is the yearly swap of old feathers for new ones. It usually starts in late summer or autumn as the days get shorter, and it's normal.
- It lasts about 8 to 12 weeks, longer in older hens
- Laying stops or slows until the new feathers are in
- Feed more protein: an 18 to 20% feed, fewer treats and scratch
- Handle them as little as possible: new pin feathers are tender
- Keep life calm: no new birds, moves or big changes
When will the molt end?
A rough guide from when the feathers started dropping. Every hen is different.
Pick the date the feathers started falling.
What molting is
Feathers wear out. Once a year a hen drops her old ones and grows a full new coat, ready for winter. Feathers are about 85% protein, so her body puts egg-laying on hold to build them. That's why eggs stop, and why diet matters so much during a molt.
Shortening days are the main trigger, so most flocks molt from late summer to late autumn. Stress, heat, a broody spell or a change of routine can also set off a molt, or a partial one, at other times of year.
Hard molt or soft molt
- Hard molt: lots of feathers fall in a few weeks and the hen can look half bald. It looks alarming but the feathers come back. Often the better layers molt hard and fast.
- Soft molt: a few feathers at a time, over a longer stretch. You may only notice the extra feathers on the coop floor and fewer eggs.
The order feathers go in
Most hens molt roughly from front to back: head and neck first, then the back and breast, then wings and tail. The new feathers grow in the same order.
Age
Chicks molt twice as they grow out of their down, but those are part of growing up. The first proper adult molt usually comes in the autumn after a hen turns about 18 months old. A spring-hatched pullet often keeps laying through her first autumn and molts the next year.
How long it lasts
| Stage | Roughly when | What you'll see |
|---|---|---|
| Starts | Late summer or autumn | Extra feathers in the coop, fewer eggs, quieter hens |
| Peak loss | Weeks 2 to 5 | Bald or ragged patches, especially head, neck and back |
| Pin feathers | Weeks 3 to 8 | Spiky quills coming through; hens may be grumpy when touched |
| New coat | Weeks 8 to 12 | Glossy new feathers, brighter combs |
| Eggs return | 1 to 3 weeks after the feathers | Laying picks up; in short winter days it may wait for spring |
Older hens and slow molters can take 14 to 16 weeks. A hen that molts fast is not ill, and one that molts slowly isn't either.
How to help a molting hen
More protein
Most importantSwitch to a feed with about 18 to 20% protein until the new feathers are in. An "all-flock", grower or "feather fixer" feed works. Then go back to layer feed once laying starts again.
Do
- Offer oyster shell on the side if the new feed isn't a layer feed, so laying hens still get calcium
- Small protein treats help: dried mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, a little cooked egg
Don't
- Fill them up on scratch grains, bread or kitchen scraps: they dilute the protein
- Keep treats to about a tenth of what they eat, molt or not
Handle gently, or not at all
ComfortNew feathers grow inside a waxy sheath with a blood supply, the "pin feather". They're tender and can bleed if knocked or pulled.
Do
- Leave health checks and handling until the coat is in, unless something's wrong
- If a pin feather bleeds, press on it gently and dab on cornflour or a styptic powder
Don't
- Pull out a broken blood feather yourself unless you know how; ask a vet or experienced keeper
- Let other hens peck at a bleeding spot: separate her until it's healed
Keep things calm
ComfortA molt is hard work. Extra stress can make it longer or start a second one.
Do
- Keep feeding and lock-up times the same
- Give a dry, draught-free coop with ventilation up high; molting birds feel the cold more
Don't
- Add new birds, move the coop or rehome birds mid-molt
- Add extra light to force laying during a molt; let them rest
Never "force" a molt
AvoidSome commercial farms used to withhold food to make a whole flock molt at once. It's cruel and banned in many places. Never take away food or water from backyard birds to start or speed up a molt.
Is it really molting?
Feather loss has a few other causes. Check these, especially if it's spring or only one hen is affected.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bald back and the back of the head, but you keep a rooster | Mating damage | Hen saddles (aprons) protect her; check the rooster's ratio to hens |
| Missing feathers around the vent, scabs, crawling specks | Mites or lice | Check at night with a torch; treat with a poultry product and clean the coop |
| Bare spots on one hen, others pecking her | Feather pecking or bullying | Find the cause (crowding, boredom, low protein); separate her until healed |
| Bare breast on a hen that sits all day | Broody hen | She's plucked a brood patch; normal for a broody |
| Feather loss with no new pin feathers, weight loss or lethargy | Illness | Call a vet |
When to call a vet
A normal molt looks rough but the hen stays bright, eats and drinks. Call a vet if a molting hen:
- Stops eating or drinking, or stands hunched and fluffed up apart from the flock
- Loses weight you can feel at the breastbone
- Has open wounds, scabs or swelling on bare skin
- Shows no new feathers after a couple of months
- Has diarrhoea, sneezing or noisy breathing, or other birds are sick too
Know when the eggs stopped, and when they're back.
Log eggs with one tap in Flockwell and the weekly chart shows exactly when the molt hit and when laying recovers. Add a health note like "Ginger is molting" and set a reminder to switch back to layer feed.
Questions
How long does molting last in chickens?
Usually 8 to 12 weeks from the first dropped feathers to a full new coat. Older hens and slow molters can take 14 to 16 weeks. Laying usually restarts 1 to 3 weeks after the new feathers are in.
Do chickens lay eggs while molting?
Most stop, or lay very few. Building feathers takes a lot of protein, so the body pauses egg production. Some hens that molt softly keep laying the odd egg.
Do chickens molt every year?
Yes, adult chickens molt about once a year, usually in late summer or autumn. The first adult molt normally happens in the autumn after a hen is around 18 months old.
Why is my chicken losing feathers in spring?
A spring molt is less common. Check for mites and lice, mating damage from a rooster, feather pecking, or a recent stress such as a move or a broody spell, which can trigger a small molt.
What should I feed molting chickens?
A feed with about 18 to 20% protein, such as an all-flock, grower or feather-fixer feed, with oyster shell on the side for calcium. Cut back on scratch, bread and scraps. Small protein treats like mealworms are fine in moderation.
Do roosters and ducks molt too?
Yes. Roosters molt every year like hens. Ducks molt too, and drakes of many breeds go through a dull "eclipse" plumage in summer. Ducks can't fly properly for a few weeks while their flight feathers regrow.
Should I put a sweater on a bald hen?
Usually not. A dry, draught-free coop is enough, and her new feathers grow quickly. Clothing can rub on sore pin feathers and hide problems. Ask a vet if a hen is badly bare in freezing weather.
Keep going
This guide is general information for backyard and small-farm keepers, not veterinary advice. If a bird seems unwell, contact a vet.