Vitamin A deficiency treatment

[mickeymousears]

I have concluded my hen has a vitamin A deficiency. (Her preen gland is all dried up). Everything I've read says to give her 2-3X the normal level for 2 weeks, however I can't figure out what the "normal level" is. I started giving her 3mls of nutri-drench once a day a few days ago. I'm not sure if this is enough. Should I buy vitamin A pills from the pharmacy? Or up the nutri-drench?

TIA for your help!

Background on the bird: 2year old barred rock, lowest in the flock. Started feather picking in December- I took away all treats and upped the protein with BOSS, meal worms, yogurt, and goat milk cream. Her feathers all grew back (feather picking stopped) but they feel grimy, dry, and brittle. On someone's suggestion I looked at her oil gland and its totally dry. I massaged it for prob 5min last night and the tiniest droplet barely came out, tonight it was back to dry.

 

[Eggcessive]

Vitamin A is fat soluble, so you need to be careful not to overdose it since it can accumulate. I would just give her the normal portion of Nutridrench (I haven't used it, but know it is good for stressed birds with the vitamins and minerals.) Another option is PolyVisol baby vitamins. One thing I keep around is fish oil capsules, and they can be great for dry skin in animals since they have omega 3 fatty acids. If you have any you might squirt one on her food every day. Most animals love the fishy flavor.