Elderly cat breathing difficulties when purring

[Sunshine]

We have 4 chickens and one of our warrens has very few feathers on her front so now it looks awful and red. None of our other 3 chickens have lost any of their feathers. This particular chicken was nicknamed 'Bossy' when we got them in Feb last year. She is still 2nd chicken or top chicken and is always first to the food and always sqaures up to the dog when she barks at them.

 

After looking at posts on here losing feathers could be due to many things:

Lice-why would only one chicken be loosing feathers/pulling out her own feathers because it was itchy/uncomfortable?

Feather pulling from another chicken-she is top chicken or 2nd chicken so why would she let another chicken do it to her?

 

She went through a molt last year but then her feathers grew back and now its just her tummy feathers that she is losing.

 

Do you think she is bored so she is doing it to herself? The 4 of them are in a 20ft by 8/9ft run but they don't get let out of the garden because my dad loves it too much and moans. MY mum did start letting them out secretly but he found out! They get given veg s"Ooops, word censored!"s most afternoons and dad gives them compost to scratch around in.

 

So does anyone have any suggestions about how to stop it. I feel awful as everytime i go outside to look at her she looks much worse than the last time i looked.

 

Thank you

 

Emma

[Redwing]

Hi Emma

 

I am not too terribly experienced but I have some comments/suggestions:

 

A broody hen sometimes pulls its own tummy/chest feathers out (but yours doesnt sound broody)

 

They have plenty of room, try adding perches, branches, tables, shelves to the run if you havent already to provide some interest, strung up cabbage is also apparently good for boredom

 

My two top chooks are currently half bald as the two others pull their feathers out so for some reason it appears that even if they are top chook they can still allow another hen to pull out their feathers!

 

If her chest is red it could be worth hiding the redness with purple spray (the veterinary type) as redness could encourage more pecking

 

Also try anti pecking spray

[telechookies]

Hi Sunshine,

 

I am feeling a bit more at ease as I found you and another fellow omleteer with a chook with the same symptoms.. let me know how you get on.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Could you net off a part of the garden to limit damage if you did let them out? Your run certainly sounds big enough if you can't so don't worry about not letting them freerange . Sweetcorn hung up is good entertainment for them as are those seed bells for wild birds (with honey, not fat).

 

Good luck!

[telechookies]

do I have to cook the sweetcorn first? I put a white cabbage in today and they not touched it!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Raw sweetcorn is fine . My don't like cabbage either . I did give them some left over cooked cabbage though and they wolfed that down .

[PurpleTree]

I was going to post a similar question. I have a feeling Mash is losing feathers on her underside - tummy/between her legs sort of area. I keep getting glimpses of skin, and I've been finding more feathers around about. I haven't been able to get a good look as it's in an awkward position and she's not keen on being held. She seems fine otherwise, I haven't noticed her preening more than usual, and she's still my top egg layer (only one day off in March). Any ideas?

[JeremyH]

I have three girls, two of whom are bald underneath. The third is perfectly ok allthough she is top bird. I'm soon adding 5 more along with a new cube so it will be interseting to see what happens. All three of the current chooks lay well and seem to be very content in their run.

 

 

 

Jeremy

[telechookies]

The purple spray arrived, was a bit of effort to get hold of to spray, think she is starting to pull feathers from her chest too so sprayed there too.. haha tempted to spray all of her to match the eglu haha

 

The white cabbage is still up untouched, will prob have to take it down and chop and cook it and add to their mashed pellets.

 

I put another mini seeed bell up this morning hanging from top of the run and they not touched, i moved it to the side when i got home from work and for some reason they were interested its like they never look up d'oh.

 

Peka-blocka also arrived so also put that up, hopefully they will keep themselves busy during the day.

[telechookies]

oh nooo...Noticed had lost further feathers and a new bloody patch on the tail area where I hadnt sprayed any purple on Tuesday night, still not sure if she doing it to herfself or if is having a go.. she is still completely immaculate.. so can i be certain this is nothing to do with mites or lice? Should I be spraying everyday??

 

Peka-blocka looks untouched.. dunno what to do... getting too attached to them .. is this self-harm for attention!?

 

We only had them for a month got them for my mum for mothers day she is away so chicken-sitting they are only down the road get up extra early to leave them pellet porridge and fresh change of water in their glug, try to rush back as early as I can to allow them a bit of free-range time give them treats etc, they get about an hr to roam before they make their own way back to rest.