StephenW Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hi guys, Another silly questions, I am just wondering if any other of you poultry keepers have experienced polish hens taking longer to go through a moult. The reason im asking is I have a hen that is still a bit scrawny looking? Your help would be much appreciated Many Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi5 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hi! I don't have any polish, but moulting can really take it out of them! Had you thought of giving a tonic? Nettex do one specially for moulting. I have found their products to be very good Protein also helps them to feather up quickly I know I've read some where that a hen who appears to be always moulting....can be an indicator of under lying illness. Is she a healthy bird, what age is she? One of my pekins had 3 moults in a year, due to being a broody and odd weather in the autumn, she suffered and got run down....not a surprise hey! She's fine now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenW Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Shes about 3 or just a bit older but she is healthy looking other wise, can apple cider vinegar be used as a tonic? Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 ACV is used to help make the gut healthy, but I don't think it will have much effect on a moulting bird. The only time I had a poland take longer than usual to feather up, was when I had a feather pecker But I totally agree with Mimi5 in that it can be a sign of underlying weakness, so I would firstly check for lice and mites which drag birds down, and assuming there are no other symptoms then I would give your bird a specific tonic like LifeGuard, Nettex or similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My Polish hens go through a moult about once a year, but some of them ( especially the frizzles) take a while for the re-growth to appear. They are liable to be picked on, by each other and by others, so sometimes the bald patches are a result of feather pecking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenW Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks for your help guys, I check her and didn't see any parasites, and checked her eyes all fine. So I have ordered tonic so maybe this will help. Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
