Why October 23rd? It is 60 days for the winter solstice of December 22nd. If you’re adding supplemental light to your birds, you can manipulate the lighting to induce the molt later in the year, October 23rd is a good aim. This is more natural for the birds as birds will often naturally molt toward the end of August as days start to shorten. I would suggest trying to manage your flocks molt to start as daylength shortens. Planning a molt for your flock includes managing feed and housing to help your birds through their molt. If you’re wanting to induce a molt, it’s best to have a plan. An induced molt will last only 45 days while a natural molt can last 3 months or more. The biggest difference between the 2 ways is the length of molting. There are 2 ways to manage a molt: inducing a molt or letting birds molt naturally. The molt is important because it gives the reproductive tract time to rejuvenate, which will help the health of your birds and quality of their eggs. During the molt, birds will eat less feed and usually stop laying. For most birds, the timing for a molt comes when natural day length starts decreasing. All birds have a timer in their head that tells them when they should take a break, quit laying, and change their feathers. Molting is when chickens replace older, worn feathers with new feathers. Birds won’t look their prettiest during a molt, but it’s a natural behavior that’s necessary for the health of your chickens.
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