When Chickens Lose Their Feathers Part: III

How can you help your chickens get their feathers back quickly? Here are a few ways we found that will assist in the regrowth of feathers!

• Limit their treats. Make sure they are on a healthy diet and don't stray too far from their daily food intake. That means to give them less treats and snacks.
• Let your chickens enjoy their dust baths! Dust baths help them cleanse their skin, which will help with feather growth.
• Ensure your chicken is eating the right foods and has a proper diet.
• Adding kelp meal or sea kelp to their diet helps their skin and feather growth.
• Keep their coops and areas clean!
• Use a blue dye on the area where there's feather loss because it will reduce their urge to peck.
• Temporarily remove the missing feathers from the flock.
• Use aprons to cover up the area where they lost their feathers
• Make sure the ratio of roosters to hens is accurate to reduce over-mating.

Common Questions and Misconceptions

What causes feather loss?

The most common cause is molting.

How do you treat feather loss?

Start at the root of the problem. Spread apart their feathers and do your own inspection, and go from there.

How often does this occur?

Molting occurs once a year and starts when your chicken is about 18 months old. The process lasts about 8-16 weeks.

If you have any other questions, check out our other blog posts in our three part series on feather loss! Click here for part I, and click here for part II.