# Molting



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

My chickens are starting to molt. My question is do I need to use Feather Fix feed? Is it necessary?


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've raised chickens for a long time and never used anything special. I did avoid picking any of them up during a molt because it hurt them. If one was in a really hard molt, full of quills every where, I would put that bird some where quieter to avoid the others causing it pain.


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I feed extra protein to help with feather regrowth, nothing any fancier than that.


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

Ok, thanks. I give them mealy worm snacks and kitchen scraps including meat as much as I can. They free range when we're at home. They get the 18% protein layer feed in a feeder that they have access to at will. Anything else?


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not really. If you see one that seems off you might want to consider putting it some place quieter. The one Silkie girl I had that would be more like a porcupine than a chicken had to be removed from everyone. Well, actually I removed everyone from her pen so I didn't have to pick her up. I didn't change the diet at all but my birds were on a 20/26% protein mix that contained animal protein.

Yours are probably already getting that since some of their scraps are meat and they get to free range so they can catch their own protein.


----------



## myhppyndng5221 (Apr 4, 2015)

If you are on an 18% protein feed then you are on the same percentage as if you were to switch to feather fixer. I have heard nothing but great things about it and how fast it speeds up the process, however everyone that I know that has used it had their birds on a feed with 16% protein so if you do try it please let me know if you think it helps at all! It can be fed all year round or just during molt it is up to you. My chickens get it all the time just because we have to many males and I like to try to keep as many feathers as possible on my ladies!


----------



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I have used the feather fixer in the past, I never noticed it made the feathers regrow faster... I used it as the base for my FF with my new flock... they put on some weight and feather quick, though im not sure if it was the feather fixer or the Fermenting.. now they are on a 5050 mix of flock raiser and layer ration, its fermented before I feed it to them.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

When it came to feathering the biggest impact seemed to come from using animal protein as opposed to soy. When I first got in to the chicken thing I started digging because I was not happy with their feathering. I found folks who had been breeding for more years than I've walked this earth and they all swore that using animal protein was what my birds needed. They were right. In no time at all my birds had a sheen to their feathers I hadn't seen before.


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

That's very interesting! Chickens are not simple vegetarians but enjoy their meat as well. I give them bones with some meat left on them and they love it. They get chicken ,beef and pork bones when we have them. We have an abundance of bugs in which they partake until their crops are stuffed!


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

I probably won't go to the expense of a feather fixer type of feed then. They seem to be thriving on what we are giving them.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

grampsjim said:


> That's very interesting! Chickens are not simple vegetarians but enjoy their meat as well. I give them bones with some meat left on them and they love it. They get chicken ,beef and pork bones when we have them. We have an abundance of bugs in which they partake until their crops are stuffed!


And you just hit on something that makes me so angry. There's a commercial out there that praises themselves for feeding their birds an all vegetarian diet. Then there are breeders out there that force birds to conform to what they think is right, which often is the exact opposite of what the birds do best on.

I don't buy that product.


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

Robin, I'm just an old farm gal. I never saw our chickens get any kind of commercial feed, just cracked corn and maize. They free ranged all over the place and we a,ways had good eggs. I didn't even know what soy was then.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I can't free range my remaining birds so I have to depend on a quality poultry feed. Mine does come from a local mill with animal protein in it. I was never pleased with the stuff I could get from the big box stores.

I guess the thing that drives me nuts are the number of people that buy in to that thing about chickens not being omnivores. Soy only became the big game in town because it was cheaper and too many humans are gullible.


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Some people just don't like the idea of using rendered animals in their feed.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Nm156 said:


> Some people just don't like the idea of using rendered animals in their feed.


So then because the human is squeamish the birds have to pay the price? We are forced to do things nearly every day that we don't enjoy to make life better for other living beings.


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

Oh, my hens have commercial feed in the coop to use at will. There are days they don't get to free range when I'm working away and the hubby isn't here either. It's not safe for them so, during those times they have pellets. I need to check the label better though.


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Rendered animals are a huge part of any commercial animal feed unless they are specifically stating they use only human grade ingredients. 

Slaughtering days are a big joy with the chooks around my place. As soon as I'm done I let the birds out than they devour everything I haven't carted away. All the tiny bits of meat and organ, the congealed blood, even the few feathers that didn't get into the bin from plucking. Doesn't bother me in the least, and slaughtering days take place in the fall right when the chickens are molting so it's a huge boost in their protein levels for those days.


----------



## grampsjim (May 18, 2015)

Thx, Fiere! We're very new to the slaughter thing , but my hens did the the same as yours and loved every bite!


----------

