Elderly cat breathing difficulties when purring

[cathybc]

I have had my ladies for about 4 months now. They weren't in bad condition when I got them, and the bald patches are no longer. BUT - they still aren't 'fully featherd', ie some parts of them still only have the white 'under feathers' rather than the gingery top ones. They seem happy enough (except when I kept them out of the house on Monday - the prervious day they had done poos on both front and back door mats but not on the nice easy clean laminate... couldn't face washing the mats two days running!), eat well and poo better. They have a bit of chicken spice every day, bokashi bran and garlic, plus oyster grit, and a daily helping of fruit or veg. Just getting a bit worried I am missing something ?

[Egluntyne]

I've had mine since the end of March. Ola is almost completely feathered up now and practically indistinguishable rom the other ginger coloured girls, but Lilia and Flavia are still showing little patches of downy white feathers, and Flavia stillisn't wearing any knickers.

 

Their bald necks and fronts feathered up very quickly...within about 6 weeks.

[abwsco]

We've had ours since the end of April and 3 of them still have bald necks and other bald bits. Chick crumb and mealworms can help but I'm not giving mine too much of it, just once a week.

[Guest]

we've had ours about 9 months. Two of them were only bald on their necks and chest a bit and they feathered up after a few months. Our other 2 girls were in a pretty poor state, Shalott was very bald. They're feathering up gradually but Shalott still has a very bald backside and has patches of baldness but she is feathring up, very gradually.

 

It all depends on how healthy the chickens were when you got them. I believe some never get all their feathers back completely but you should see some improvements after a few months.

[melly264]

we've had our chickens for about 2 months now, and I was wondering the same thing!

One of ours was all but oven ready and unsurprisingly she is the slowest to regain her feathers. It seems that the underside is the last to get some feathers, and their backs under the wings seem to take a long time too.

 

Thanks for the tip about mealworms, might have to invest!

[Steph101]

Perhaps try some Poultry Spice or Poultry Booster?

[cathybc]

thanks for your replies - mine seem to be within the 'norm' so I will stop worrying, might try mealworms too tho !

[Mrs Slats]

Paxo, our oven ready has been very slow to regain her feathers.

 

I've started her on special tuna treats to give her a boost, but now I've noticed the few feathers she had grown back are being pecked at by the others.

 

She's so mouthy, OH thinks they are telling her to shut up!

 

anti peck spray here we come.

[Jonny]

Freda was the worst of ours and still has a bare bum and wings.

 

AMO told me to give her Tuna in Spring Water and the feathers have grown back faster in the last month than in the previous 6.

[dancing cloud]

The worst three of mine still have bare back patches, and bare tummies and no knickers , but then they've only been here two months (and at least I got to see what the hen's vent looks like without having to get all up close and personal!). The better three have a bare patch at the base of the tail or no just no tail, and all six of them are feathering up nicely from where they started.

 

Joy, who was just totally bald skin when she came to me, is now laying softies or not at all, so they may all benefit from a boost as well as their usual Poultry Spice. Nothing wrong with their appetites

 

Does the tuna affect the taste of the eggs? Or is this just a suburban myth? Is tuna better than mealworms, and how much tuna do you give them? Not that I spoil or indulge my little scoffalots in any way at all (and not that I look forward to explaining to fat Puddy why the feather-brains are getting tuna when it's her very favourite thing on the planet )

[mayflower]

I've had mine since March and all are now fully feathered....except a tiny patch on Lucy's lower back which is also swollen and red. She had absolutely no feathers and was in a terrible condition. She is so beautiful now, but that tiny patch just will not go away. Also, as well as Lucy, Alice has never regrown her tail, well, she has one long sturdy feather which stands out....like a feather in her cap...only it's her back! Also, I noticed today, that I think they are staring to moult. Maybe it's the time of the year, or just the result of the terrible suffering these little ones have gone through. You know what? I feel more angry now about the plight of caged hens than what I did when I first had them. I think it is because as time goes by, I realise what lovely ceatures hens are, how individual they are, and what joy they bring to us. When we first brought our hens home, that night there was a programme on TV about families in rural Africa and how difficult it was to grow crops with so little water. As the chap was interviewing this family, their flock of hens were running around their backyard. These african hens were not only fully feathered but, absolutely gorgeous colours and so healthy looking. Even in that dire situation, those hens had a quality life and were respected by humans. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. xxx

[cathybc]

I so agree Mayflower. Mine manage to do something new every day to make me smile - last night it was jumping into the rabbit hutch and stealing their greens 'cos the girls didn't want to wait for theirs !

[melly264]

Hmmm hadn't thought about it like that.... yes it does seem doubly unfair if it takes this long and still they're not feather up.

Just been carrying one of mine round the back garden and feeling how soft her feathers are now, but still a long way off being covered.

Mind you at least Duracell (the most feathered) actually looks like a chicken now