molt
mohlt
/moʊlt/
To shed old feathers, hair, or skin to make way for new growth.
In poultry, molting is a natural annual cycle where birds lose their worn feathers and temporarily stop laying eggs to rejuvenate their bodies.
The story behind the word. Traces back to the Latin 'mutare', meaning 'to change'. It entered Middle English as 'mouten' (meaning to shed), and the 'l' was later added in spelling by scholars who wanted to link it visually to other Latinate words.
Word relationships
- shed: Shed is a general term for losing hair or skin, while molt is the precise term for birds shedding feathers or arthropods shedding exoskeletons.
Commonly confused with
- preen: Preen means to clean and arrange feathers with the beak, whereas molt is the actual shedding of those feathers.
Word family
- molting (noun): The process of shedding feathers.
Collocations
- annual molt
- feather molt
- begin to molt
- post-molt production
Example sentences
- "During their autumn molt, chickens require extra protein in their diet to help them grow new feathers quickly." Poultry care manual.
- "The flock looked ragged and patchy as they entered their annual molt, but they emerged with beautiful, glossy plumage." Observing natural bird cycles.
Memory hook
Think of a bird 'melting' away its old feathers to grow new ones. Molt: melting away old feathers.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a bird losing feathers due to disease, stress, or pecking by other birds; molting is a healthy, systemic biological process.
Fun facts
- During a molt, a chicken's reproductive tract completely rests and rebuilds itself, which actually extends the bird's productive laying life.
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