New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

READER LETTER OF THE WEEK

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Dear Wendyl,

I know you keep chickens and was wondering if you had any natural remedies for helping them when they moult? My chickens have all dropped their feathers and look miserable, and they’re not laying. Any advice would be greatly appreciate­d.

Jackie

Hi Jackie,

It can be a bit distressin­g to see your wee hens wandering around embarrasse­d and naked! As soon as this happens, I always up the amount of protein they get in their diet to help them get the best nutrition they can to remake those feathers and get back into action. The easiest thing to do is give them yoghurt or milk, but my favourite is giving them cans of mackerel. You can get these cheaply at the supermarke­t and they love it. The oil and calcium in the fish is also great for chickens so give them this treat once or twice a week. Other good protein sources are lentils, which I soak overnight and sometimes I fling them a slice or two of dog roll. I hope your chickens perk up soon!

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