Avian Production Management

MOULTING

Natural Moulting

• Moulting is a normal physiological process of shedding and renewing feathers in feathered species and it occurs in both sexes
• In the wild state, birds usually shed and renew old, worn plumage before the beginning of the cold weather and their migratory flights
• Birds normally shed their old feathers and grow new feathers once a year, which is controlled by the gonads and the thyroid gland and is associated with a drop in estrogen levels and a decreasing rate of egg production

Commencement - Natural Moulting

• Natural moults in commercial layer normally occur after 8 to 12 months of egg production
• The loss of feathers is an orderly process with the head feather being shed first, followed by the feathers on the neck, body, wing and finally the tail