Molting is one of the most misunderstood times in a backyard flock.

In this episode 9 of Purely Vetted, Nikki Husted,  @purelychickens  and Dr. Blayne Mozisek,  @thepoultrydocpodcast  , walk through what molting actually is, why it happens, and how to tell it apart from feather picking, parasite damage, or nutritional deficiency.

They cover what to expect during a molt, other reasons for feather loss in backyard chickens, how feed and treats play a bigger role in feather quality than most people realize, and what to do for birds that are struggling to regrow feathers.

The episode also gets into supplemental heat, lighting, and flock management during molt, including what to do if you have a rooster or a bird that is being picked on while regrowing feathers.

Whether your flock is mid-molt right now or you are just trying to get ahead of it, this episode covers the practical side of getting your birds through it and ready for the colder months.

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00:00:00 Intro

00:01:01 Updates

00:04:10 What is molting?

00:06:58 Stress-induced molts and when young birds first molt

00:08:22 Hard vs. soft molts

00:13:43 Feed quality, treats, and a feathering case study

00:21:00 Molting vs. feather picking vs. parasites

00:23:49 Pin feathers, blood feathers, and protecting birds mid-molt

00:27:43 Peepers, rooster management, and space during molt

00:32:01 Timing, mite damage, and molt length by breed

00:37:39 Supplemental heat during molt and winter management

00:44:01 Supplemental lighting and its effect on molt and egg production

00:49:04 Corn-free and soy-free diets: nutritional tradeoffs

00:55:26 Wrap-up and closing