- ✓Recognise a moult and what triggers it in the middle of lay
- ✓Understand the causes of feather pecking, cannibalism and egg eating
- ✓Prevent through lighting, density, feed, water and collection, and react quickly
The moult: when the hen changes her feathers
The moult is the renewal of the feathers. During the moult, the hen lays little or not at all: she puts her strength into her new feathers. Large amounts of feathers on the ground and hens with damaged plumage, in the middle of the laying period, are an alarm signal.
In the middle of lay, a moult affecting part of the flock is almost always triggered by stress:
- Lighting that decreases: power cut with no backup, a blown bulb, a faulty timer, a guard who switches off early. Throughout lay, day length stays stable at 16 hours and never decreases (lesson 3).
- Water cut: even a short one can make laying drop.
- Lack of feed: late delivery, empty feeders, sudden change of feed. In full production, a laying hen eats about 111 to 119 g a day.
- Strong heat, moving the hens, building work, disease.
Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).
Some farms deliberately trigger a moult to restart laying: this is forced moulting. It requires precise control and is not advised without a veterinarian or an experienced technician. This lesson does not teach it: here, you learn to avoid the moult nobody wanted.
Feather pecking: hens pecking each other
Feather pecking is when hens pull out other hens’ feathers with their beaks. It can be recognised by feathers pulled out on the back and around the tail, feathers on the ground, hens running away and hiding, then by wounds.
The causes are almost always found in management:
- Density too high: too many hens per m² or per compartment (lesson 8).
- Lighting too bright or direct sunlight on the hens.
- Heat: hens that are suffering become nervous.
- Feed that is unbalanced, insufficient or changed suddenly.
- Lack of space at the feeders and drinkers: hens fight over it.
- Boredom: on the floor, nothing to scratch or peck at.
A wounded hen must be taken out at once. The red colour of blood attracts pecks from the other hens: a small wound left in the flock can end with a hen killed.
Cannibalism and egg eating
Cannibalism is feather pecking that goes as far as serious wounds and death. At the start of lay, it often begins around the vent, which is red and visible at the moment of laying. Pullets brought into lay too early, too light, are more exposed: one more reason to increase the lighting only once the target weight is reached (lessons 3 and 4). Dim nest boxes also protect hens at the moment of laying.
Egg eating is another habit that is learnt: a hen breaks an egg, tastes it, does it again, and the others copy her. What causes it:
- Collection too infrequent: eggs must be collected at least 2 to 3 times a day, more often when it is hot.
- Broken eggs left in the nest boxes or on the floor.
- Fragile shells that break easily (lesson 7): layer feed, cool water.
- Nest boxes too bright, dirty or too few.
Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).
Preventing and reacting
| Lever | What we do |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Day length stable at 16 h during lay, backup in case of power cuts; no direct sun on the hens; dim nest boxes |
| Density | Respect the benchmarks (lesson 8); never add hens during the flock |
| Feed and water | Complete layer feed, no sudden changes; room for all to eat at the same time; cool water, never cut |
| Collection | At least 2 to 3 times a day; broken eggs removed and nest boxes cleaned |
| Occupation | On the floor, clean, dry litter to scratch in, a little clean straw |
| Monitoring | Walk round the house several times a day; wounded and dead hens taken out at once |
When the problem appears:
- Take out and isolate wounded hens; remove the dead at once.
- Look for the cause in this order: lighting, density, feed, water, heat, collection. Write the date and what you found on the laying record sheet (lesson 9).
- Call your area’s veterinarian if the problem continues or hens are dying: only the veterinarian decides on any treatment.
Beak trimming (shortening the tip of the beak) is practised on some farms, by a trained person and with the veterinarian’s agreement. It never replaces good management: lighting, density and feed come first.
For the entrepreneur
- ›A power backup and a water reserve protect laying: a lighting or water cut can trigger a moult.
- ›Never overload the house to gain a few hens: overloading is paid for in feather pecking and lost eggs.
- ›Ask every week for the number of wounded hens, eaten eggs and moulting hens.
For the technician
- ›Keep the lighting stable at 16 h, with no direct sun on the hens; dim nest boxes.
- ›Immediately take out any wounded or dead hen; remove broken eggs and clean the nest boxes.
- ›At the first sign of feather pecking, look for the cause (lighting, density, feed, water, heat) and alert the veterinarian if it continues.
The 3 questions to ask your technician this week
- Have we had a lighting failure, a water cut or a late feed delivery in the last few weeks?
- How many wounded hens did we take out this week, and where were their wounds?
- How many eaten or broken eggs did we find in the nest boxes this week?
Key points
- •A moulting hen renews her feathers and lays little or not at all; in the middle of lay, the moult is almost always triggered by stress.
- •Lighting stable at 16 h throughout lay, never reduced; water never cut; feed always available.
- •Feather pecking: density, lighting too bright, heat, feed, lack of space, boredom.
- •Blood attracts beaks: a wounded hen is taken out at once.
- •Egg eating: collect at least 2 to 3 times a day, remove broken eggs, strong shells, dim nest boxes.
- •Treatment and beak trimming: only with your area’s veterinarian.