Poor Mary has flight feather issues

[Yav]

I keep 3 Aylesbury's as pets. Mary has always been sids favourite hen.I have noticed over the past few months she has lost weight. Just by handling her. No imperical measurements per se. But compared to her sister she is a lot lighter. I handle them often and pink spray their feet as they are often on concrete.

Mary has developed pinkish orange wing tips. These feathers appear to be dead. So as well as losing weight and maybe stopping laying - anyone have a real answer to this? She is clearly less healthy than the other hen who appears to be thriving. But she still eats the same, acts the same.

I asked the famer who breeds them and she says Sid has worn her out. She will recover but basically as favourite her essential minerals have been depleted. But it just seems strange to me that one and not the other should go through such a huge change. I hope she is not ill but perhaps I should get her to the vets - in any case I need to bite the bullet at some stage and get my invectemin legal like!

 

[Miss Lydia]

What do you feed them?

Drakes can really wear out a female over mating season and can do a number on their feathers as well, They should start into molt soon to get their new feathers before winter.

You can take her to the vet for blood work and check for worms but along with that you can start her on some really good poultry vitamins and add some extra protein to their diet. Feathers are protein, quality cat kibble is one way to give additional protein also meal worms and some ducks like tuna or salmon sardines things like that just rinse off extra salt before offering.

You could also give Sid some time out away from the females for a few weeks just to see if it makes any difference in how Mary feels and looks. Still close to each other where they can see each other just not where Sid can get to Mary right now.

 

[Yav]

Thats some great advice Lydia. I'm thinking this is more natural than anything suspect. I'll try to intro her to some fish offerings for now but I know she will refuse them going on past experiences. Mayb its time she meets the vet.

 

[Yav]

What do you feed them?

Drakes can really wear out a female over mating season and can do a number on their feathers as well, They should start into molt soon to get their new feathers before winter.

You can take her to the vet for blood work and check for worms but along with that you can start her on some really good poultry vitamins and add some extra protein to their diet. Feathers are protein, quality cat kibble is one way to give additional protein also meal worms and some ducks like tuna or salmon sardines things like that just rinse off extra salt before offering.

You could also give Sid some time out away from the females for a few weeks just to see if it makes any difference in how Mary feels and looks. Still close to each other where they can see each other just not where Sid can get to Mary right now.

Oh sorry what do I feed them? Layer pellets / corn, with daily contributions of kale - shredded greens etc

 

[Miss Lydia]

Good thinking, getting a poo sample to take in will help rule out parasites too.

Let us know how she is doing.

My ducks don't care for anything like tuna sardine etc but boy they go nuts for kibble and sunflower seeds which has good protein in them too and meal worms. Those three are their fav treats. Helps them through molt.

I also give whole corn but not much it's mainly carbs good for winter to help keep them warm over night but can also make them fat.

 

[Yav]

I've never heard of cat kimble - is that an American thing? I'm guessing cat kimble is dried cta food.....

 

[Yav]

Tell e more about this Kibble - at mo the only treat they go nuts for is ornge KOI sticks (all fish minerals etc)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I bet they love the Koi food Is it expensive? Mine go crazy for dried meal worms they have very expensive taste.

Cat Kibble is dried cat food. There are great quality and poor quality you want as good as you can afford that has good quality protein in it not fillers. It's the extra protein your wanting. If you decide to try them on some kibble go with a small bag to see if they like it.

This is a treat they get Dried kibble, sunflower seeds and dried meal worms in the afternoon Plus I add a cup of whole dried corn for my gander. This is thrown out on the ground and 43 birds are scarfing it up.

 

[Yav]

Hi Lydia

The koi sticks I give them are the cheapest available but they go nuts for them. They get no more than a few handfuls a day and mostly consist of fish meal. £18 for a huge (10kg) bag and it lasts at least a month. It also contains Spirulina "Spirulina is a natural “algae” (cyanbacteria) powder that is incredibly high in protein and a good source of antioxidants, B-vitamins and other nutrients. When harvested correctly from non-contaminated ponds and bodies of water, it is one of the most potent nutrient sources available."

So this "kimble"(I don't want to get the wrong thing) are you talking about those small cat pouches that contain small nuggests of semi soft pellets? Not the hard little cat munchies?

I also have some stuff I keep for the parrots called Avimix. It contains Nutrobal.

I noticed today on proper inspection that Alice's wing tip feathers are gone. Just the feather stalks left so somethings wrong - probably diet - bit embarrassed I didnt notice it before but she tends to tuck her feathers in more and I don't make a point of handling them.

Surely this isnt a case of natural moulting or something silly like that?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you get a pic of her feathers? My ducks are beginning molt now so maybe it is molt. They can look pretty ratty by end of summer right before molt starts. Are you noticing more feathers than normal laying on the ground?

I put Spirulina in my flocks feed and I also take it great stuff.

Does sound like they have a good diet And I am talking about dry[Kibble]cat food actually I use dog since I have dogs and they get grain free food my birds love the Salmon and pea as do my dogs. Fish meal should also helps with feather quality what is the protein content in the Koi food? You might not need to get the cat/dog food.