Molting

Molting is physiological process the shedding of

old feathers and the growth of the new one in
birds. It is affected by hormonal, where the ovary
regresses and the egg production automatically
stop.
1. Juvenile Molts:

The first molt will occurs between the ages of

1-6 weeks

The second molt occurs between the ages of

7-9 weeks

The third occurs at 12-13 weeks

2. First Adult Molt

Occurs at approximately 20-22 weeks (this time

is where the chickens get their tail feathers)

3. Annual Molts

After this, the chickens will molt 1 time a year

Every year, once a year, chickens shed their feathers during a period, on
average, of anywhere from 8-12 weeks known as the molting period. Chickens
experience first molt at 18 months of age.

During the molting period, the chicken will gradually lose her feathers,
replacing them with new feathers.

There are two phenomena in the molting process, namely the removal of
old feathers (ecdesis) and the growth of new feathers (endesis). This
molting phenomenon is influenced by the control of endocrine hormones
in the body.
In a healthy chicken, molting is triggered by
changes in daylight. Chickens are sensitive to
daylight.

On the other hand, there are other things that

can cause molting that are not normal, for
example: exhaustion, stress, under feeding
(starvation), dehydration, illness.
Chickens will lose feathers in a sequence
starting with the head and neck, and then
down the back, across the breast and thighs
and finally their tail feathers.

The new feathers that emerge are called

pinfeathers and will grow in following the
same sequence they were lost
Soft Molt: It usually happen in birds of all kinds
which results in the gradual loss of feathers over
a long period of time. It is generally symmetrical
so that the bird does not lose the ability to fly.

Hard molt : It usually happen in chickens.

Meaning that they lose a significant number of
feathers and can end up almost completely
featherless for a period of time.
 The Other Way of Molt: Forced Molting

Forced molting is when we force them into a molt , especially when we are concerned
about egg production . Forced molting can happen by manipulating the environment
such as feed, water, light or chemical compounds. This method is aimed to shed the
feathers spontaneously and stop the egg production.
This practice has been increasingly used in commercial farms to extend laying period
with the purpose of making the bird’s reproductive system rest for a period shorter
than the natural period in order to restore reproductive capacity, improve eggshell
quality and to reduce losses (Ramos et al., 1999).
There are three methods of forced molting on chickens reported by NORTH
(1979),
conventional methods
Washington method
Milo method.
Those are use feed, water, lighting and their combination as a method for forced
molting.

The forced molting methods conventionally used for commercial layers

can be classified in three groups: use of drugs, such as progesterone and
chlormadinone; nutritional, which change the concentration of determined
ions in the feed, such as calcium and phosphorus, sodium and potassium,
iodine or zinc; and a wide range of management methods, which are the
most frequently used (Castelo Llobet et al., 1989).
Molting in nature or induced by farmer has the same effect : a marked loss in
body weight (Bell, 1992), renewal of feathering, rejuvenation of the flock with
higher egg production and improvements in egg quality (Bar, 1999; Bell,
2003)

The effect of forced molting :

1. Forced molting can push the costs and extend production period

2. Force molting shorten molting period from 8-12 weeks to 3-4 weeks

3. Forced molting make the egg quality better. It can be seen by the colour
and thickness of shell

4. Forced molting cause chicken has better immunity than pullet