UCP Episode 057: Understanding Chicken Molting with Meredith Chilson

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Jen Pitino

Frida cooperating for Molting Picture – photo by Jen Pitino

Backyard chickens molt every year to replace broken, frayed and old feathers. Though conventionally, chickens molt in late summer/early fall, a bird can molt anytime of year that suits. Molting is both a physically and emotionally stressful time for the bird.

Meredith Chilson, a veteran chicken keeper with over forty years of experience and knowledge joins me on the Urban Chicken Podcast this week to discuss feather molting in chickens. Meredith also shares some practical tips on how to make the molting process a little easier for you flock. Continue reading →

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UCP Episode 037: Molting: Help, My Chicken is NAKED!

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Jen Pitino

Frida Starting a Hard Molt in Winter – photo by Jen Pitino

Frida Chicken turned up in the coop mostly naked and looking quite chilled a couple weeks ago – just before Christmas. Wintertime in Boise, Idaho is cold and snowy, with the days hanging at or below freezing. This is a particularly inopportune time for a chicken to decide to chuck her feathers in a massive molt. Today on the Urban Chicken Podcast, we take a close look at the molting process and consider such questions as what causes it and how to help your hens through it with as much ease as possible. Continue reading →