Natural Supplements for Molting Season

All chickens who are over a year old molt at least once every year, usually in the late summer and fall months. Molting is when a chicken replaces its old feathers with new feathers, which will help keep it warm and stay healthy. Molting can be stressful for chickens and it also demands a lot of nutrients and energy. Supplementing your homestead flock’s diet while they are going through a molt can help reduce stress, provide essential nutrients, and help them complete a successful and efficient molt. These natural supplements for molting will provide a lot of protein and nutrients, which are needed during the molting season.

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Supplementing 101: How to Proceed

Feathers contain 85% protein, 8% water, and 1% water-insoluble fats. Which is why I like to provide my flock with more protein rich foods during their molt along with clean, fresh drinking water. A lot of these natural supplements are best offered as free-choice supplements. Although, some can be added to your flock’s water and a few can be added to your flock’s feed.

To learn more about using natural supplements for your flock, be sure to check out my post on How to Use Chicken Feed Supplements!

As with all supplements and treats, these molting supplements should not make up more than 10% of your flock’s diet. When used improperly, these supplements can cause unwanted health issues. For example, too much protein can cause conditions like gout or diarrhea. Also, a lot of supplements that are a good source of protein also contain high levels of fat. Too much fat can cause problems such as fatty liver syndrome. The use of one supplement for long, continuous periods of time can lead to health issues.

With most supplements for homestead chickens, there are no known dosages or time periods of which to offer the supplement. We must use common sense and knowledge to determine when, how much, and for how long to use a supplement with our flocks.

A lot of this knowledge comes from observing your flock and doing research on the various supplements. However, there are a few tips you can keep in mind when offering your flock these molting supplements.

Supplementing Tips:

• Moderation– never let the molting supplements exceed 10% of your flock’s daily food consumption
• Timing– offer treat supplements (like seeds and grubs) in the afternoon and evening, after your flock has had their fill of layer feed
• Variety– don’t feed the same supplement for over 7-10 days in a row, switch up supplements to add variety to your flock’s diet
• Appropriate Use– molting supplements are for molting season, while your flock is molting these supplements will be helpful but when they stop molting it’s time to wean off the molting supplements

Molting Supplements: Feed

Herbs- Herbs can be helpful for just about any chicken keeping situation! A few herbs that are beneficial during the molt include:

• dill
• mint
• oregano
• basil
• parsley

These herbs are high in protein which helps with feather regrowth. They also provide many other nutrients and vitamins that aid in the digestion of other supplements and provide many health benefits. Mild herbs such as parsley and dill can be added to your flock’s feed while stronger herbs like oregano and mint are best offered as free-choice herbs. Check out my post on How to Use Herbs for Backyard Chickens for more tips on using herbs for your flock!

Kelp- Kelp is truly an amazing supplement! It is chocked full of vitamins and is a great supplement to add year round to your flock’s feed! It’s especially beneficial during the molt because it provides essential vitamins and helps keep the new feathers looking healthy! Buy a brand that has been specifically formulated for poultry, like Treats for Chickens kelp supplement, and add it to your flock’s feed in the recommended ratio.

Molting Supplements: Water

Apple Cider Vinegar- Apple cider vinegar is not a probiotic by definition and it does not provide the numerous health benefits for your flock that it was once thought to provide. It does, however, aid in the digestion of proteins. To reach its most beneficial state, it must first be converted into an alkaline form. This is achieved during the digestion process if the proper amounts of calcium are present at the same time. If not enough calcium is present, the body will draw calcium from the bones.

So, in order to use ACV during the molting season, it is best to provide high calcium foods or alkaline foods at the same time you are providing ACV. Some good foods to offer include pumpkin seeds, kelp, and crushed oyster shells. Add ACV in a ratio of 1 tblsp. per gallon of water. I do not recommend offering it on a regular basis.

To learn more about how vinegar works, check out How Vinegar Affects Chickens.

Garlic- Garlic is a nutrient powerhouse and can help provide essential nutrients and vitamins for molting birds! It will also help give the new feathers a glossy shine. I add fresh, crushed garlic to my flock’s water once a week (4 large cloves per gallon of water). Allow the crushed garlic to stay in the water for at least 24 hours to allow it to provide its maximum benefits.

Molting Supplements: High Protein

There are two different forms of protein that you can offer your flock, plant-based protein and meat-based protein. Plant proteins are incomplete proteins, meaning they do not contain all 9 essential amino acids. Plant proteins and meat proteins work well together and I suggest you give your flock a mix of both plant and meat proteins.

For more information about how to balance protein in your flock’s diet and what protein supplements are the best, check out these resources:

• Balancing Protein in a Flock’s Diet
• Protein Sources for Backyard Chickens

Sources of Meat-Based Protein

Dried Black Soldier Fly Grubs- Dried black soldier fly grubs are an excellent source of protein to feed during the molt. BSF grubs can contain as much as 34% protein in a serving! They also contain the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus, which means they can help supplement calcium into the diet too. My chickens absolutely love grubs! Since grubs are a natural food for chickens to consume, they can have this natural supplement on a regular basis as long as it is offered in moderation.

Eggs- Eggs are a good source of protein and contain all the life sustaining nutrients except vitamin C. Giving your chickens cooked eggs will help keep them from turning into an egg-eater and will still provide them with beneficial protein. My flock loves scrambled or boiled eggs!

Meat Scraps- One of my flock’s favorite protein rich snacks are meat scraps. I mostly feed my chickens leftover cooked chicken scraps. They love the skin, meat pieces, gristle, and an occasional very small bone! You may have heard that it is bad to give your chickens cooked chicken because of the risk of salmonella poisoning. However, if you buy organic, free-range chicken the chances of salmonella poisoning for both you and your flock is minimal. Check out this post on good and bad table scraps for chickens to find out what other meats your chickens can have!

Sources of Plant-Based Protein

Seeds:

Sunflower Seeds- Sunflower seeds contain 29 grams of protein in one cup, making them a great source of protein. You can feed your chickens both shelled and in-the-shell sunflower seeds as long as they are not salted. Sunflower seeds in the shell are very high in fat and should be fed with caution. Soaking the sunflower seeds overnight will also maximize their benefits.

Hemp Seeds- Another seed that I often throw into a protein snack mix are hemp seeds. Hemp seeds contain 31 grams of protein per serving and are one of most complete sources of plant protein (but they still do not contain all of the essential amino acids). Like other seeds, hemp seeds contain antinutritional factors that can inhibit the digestion of nutrients, so they should be fed in moderation.

Flax Seeds- Flax seeds are another good source of protein but they are also high in fat. Despite the fact that they have a fairly healthy fat profile, they should still be offered in moderation. Research has shown that the long term use of flax seeds in poultry diets can cause liver hemorrhages in laying hens. You can still offer your flock flax seeds, just make sure you don’t give them too much (more than 10% of their diet) or offer them over a long period of time.

Pumpkin Seeds- Pumpkin seeds contain 9 grams of protein per serving and may also contain antiparasitic properties. Make sure the pumpkin seeds are not salted. Fresh pumpkin seeds are the most beneficial. I like to give my chickens a whole pumpkin and let them work their way to the seeds, eating the rind, flesh, and the seeds! The entire pumpkin is very beneficial for chickens, providing benefits such as hydration, boosting the immune system, and helping improve weak eggshells.

Legumes & etc…

Legumes-  Legumes, such as chickpeas, fava beans, soybeans, and field peas are a good source of protein. Depending on the legume, crude protein content can range from 27% to 50%. The only down side to legumes is that they have antinutritional factors which can inhibit digestion and cause health issues when used long term. Antinutritional factors are present mainly due to the plant’s natural way of protecting its seed before it grows. The natural coatings on the outsides of legumes often contain tannins, lectins or other nutrient inhibitors. Legumes that have fairly low levels of antinutritional factors include field peas and lentils.

Sprouting legumes will help maximize the benefits your flock can receive when supplementing their diet with legumes.

Quinoa- Quinoa is another protein-packed supplement containing 24 grams of protein per serving! It is related to the beet and spinach family and has a great amino acid profile. Quinoa also contains good amounts of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and B vitamins. Quinoa pairs well with legumes and grains because it contains healthy amounts of lysine and methionine. Wash or soak quinoa before feeding it to your flock to maximize its benefits!

Make these DIY quinoa cakes for your flock to keep them entertained and healthy!

Leafy Greens:

Spirulina- By far one of most protein rich plant foods, spirulina is a great supplement to provide during the fall molt. It is 60% protein which makes it a great choice for molting chickens! Spirulina is a blue-green algae and is thought to be one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet! You can add it to your flock’s feed, sprinkle it over fermented feed, or add it to special treats and snacks.

Spinach- Spinach also contains protein but I included it in this list more for its Vitamin K content. Vitamin K helps with blood clotting which is essential incase a delicate feather follicle gets scrapped open and begins to bleed. Offer handfuls of spinach to your flock and even mix in a few herbs.

Your chickens will have a blast feasting on whatever fun, protein snacks you give them! By providing your homestead flock with these extra supplements and increasing protein in their diet, you can help them complete a successful and efficient molt! Keep in mind that these supplements should be offered in moderation in order for them to be beneficial. Use the supplements in moderation and keep your flock’s diet varied so you can provide your flock with natural, healthy supplements that will help them through their molt and not cause any unwanted health issues!

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by Alexa