**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Manna Pro. Connect with other backyard chicken owning friends by following @CityYolks on Instagram and Facebook.

Ahhhhhh, autumn. It’s just such a lovely time of year…pumpkin spice everything, cozy sweaters, falling leaves…and feathers. Feathers E V E R Y W H E R E. The molt struggle is real.

For anyone who doesn’t have experience with chickens, let me back up. Every year, as summer comes to a close, and fall is just settling in, chickens lose their feathers. BECAUSE WHY WOULDN’T THEY. It’s usually sudden, and it’s usually dramatic. One day they’re chickening around, looking normal and fat, and the next: BAM: nekkid chicken. Sometimes they lose every single gosh darn feather, and sometimes they lose them in random patches that leave them looking like a scraggly, flea-bitten caricature of their former glorious selves. And then they proceed to slowly, and kinda painfully, grow in all new feathers, usually barely in the knick of time for the really cold weather to kick in (and by “really cold” I mean, like low 50’s cuz I live in Los Angeles and that is what winter is to us—but The Molt laughs at climate; it is the same no matter where you live).

Even though it is a totally natural and necessary part of the yearly cycle of the majestic backyard chicken, it is still so very awkward to go through. For both the chickens and their humans. Molt guilt is a real thing. Despite the fact that molting is a normal and expected process, you feel terrible for them, and illogically, somehow responsible.

molt guilt

/mōlt gilt/

noun

An annual feeling of despondency, helplessness, and irrational accountability that accompanies the onset and duration of backyard chicken molting season. See also: molt seasonal affective disorder.

So how do you deal with both The Molt, and the inevitable Molt Guilt? Well, you start by making sure you are already feeding your chickens a high quality feed, like Manna Pro’s Non-GMO Layer Mini-Pellets. These tasty pellets are made from U.S. sourced grains with no artificial colors or ingredients whatsoever, and it is such added peace of mind to know that my girls are heading into The Molt with superior nutrition already in place.

Also helpful for both The Molt and the Molt Guilt? TREATS. Treats really help with The Guilt. These poor birds deserve to be spoiled a bit during this difficult time, and dang it, it helps me feel less awful if I shower them with healthy goodies. I like to supplement their Layer Mini-Pellets with a bit of Manna Pro’s Non-GMO 6 Grain & Flaxseed Scratch, in addition to some cooked egg (no really, it’s super good for them), and also little buggy protein treats such as Manna Pro’s Cricket Crunchies and Mealworm Munchies. Not only are all these treats (fed in moderation as a part of a balanced diet) healthy and helpful for my girls to be eating during molt season, it helps me deal with my guilt issues to provide all these little extras. Also, I really feel like the daily self-affirmation exercises we do as a group every morning go a long way. Could just be coincidence. We’ll likely never know for sure.

And if you don’t think I am also making myself some delicious Pumpkin Spice Mai Tais to help me through the Molt Guilt THEN YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME. Seasonal Mai Tais are intrinsic to my fall self-care routine.

With superior Manna Pro nutrition and extra treats (nibbles for the chickens, cocktails for the humans), we’ll all get through this difficult time together.

**This is a sponsored post in partnership with Manna Pro. Connect with other backyard chicken owning friends by following @CityYolks on Instagram and Facebook.