- May 10, 2009
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To expand upon this, we have two "elderly" hens (both White Rocks, 5+ years old) who are suddenly showing their age - difficulty hopping onto roost, slow moving, etc. One has a very messy vent, but eats fine. We generally put cider vinegar in their water and also have been giving some kefir or yogurt to all 7 in the flock- this particular hen loves it. Both Rocks' tails have seemed short, and we thought perhaps they were starting a molt, but today I realized that their tail feathers are still there, they are just kind of tucking them in - I can't describe it exactly, but when I picked one up to get her down from her roost, her tail suddenly "grew" about four inches longer. No signs of parasites that we can see, other hens are doing fine, no change in diet (except that these particular hens really loved browsing under the white mulberry tree and ate tons of them - messy vent started before the onslaught of fruit, though). Any thoughts or suggestions? All gratefully received.
