My hen is going bald

QTwo of my four hens are in their autumn moult, and it looks alarming as one has only a few feathers left. Is there anything I could be doing such as providing extra food or bedding while the feathers grow back?

AMoulting is a normal process in hens. It usually takes between four to eight weeks, and can often look quite alarming. However, new feathers quickly replace old ones.

Feathers are 80-85% protein, so replacement will require an increase of this in the diet. During this time egg laying will often cease to allow the replenishing of protein needed for new feathers.

Check with your normal supplier to ensure the food being fed to your hens contains sufficiently high protein levels. Supplementation with products containing amino acids may be required. For more detailed information visit chickenvet.co.uk, a very good site that also lists UK vets that treat barnyard chickens.

There are other causes of feather loss that need to be considered apart from moulting, and this may be important in your case, as one hen seems to be more affected than the other three.

It could be that other birds are pecking her feathers out. Sometimes this is the result of bullying, with the bald bird being lowest in the pecking order. Stress or a dietary deficiency in protein is another possibility, where you may see birds eating feathers from the floor, or from each other.

Another factor could be a lack of dust for the birds, which is important for feather health. Various parasites such as red mite also cause feather loss, and should be considered too.

Q

My 10-year-old labrador was recently castrated for prostate problems and had a benign growth removed. He is now drinking a lot and a friend has said that dogs do drink more as they get older. Is this true or could there be a more serious underlying problem?

AI do not think excessive drinking (polydipsia) occurs just because a dog is getting older, and I suggest a repeat consultation with your vet.

First, I recommend you monitor your dog’s 24-hour intake of water by measuring how much is drunk in mls from 9am to 9am. Each dog is an individual but most authorities suggest that more than 100 ml/kg/24 hours indicates polydipsia.

There could be a simple reason for this, such as a change from a moist to a dry diet. In most cases however, there is an underlying problem requiring a diagnosis.

Your dog started drinking soon after castration and a growth removal, so I would want to be sure those procedures are not relevant.

The prostate can be checked and should have shrunk. Malignant prostate cancers do not respond to castration and may cause polydipsia in the early stages.

There are a few other, also rare, tumours that produce high calcium levels, which can cause polydipsia.

Routine blood and urine tests will diagnose the main underlying causes such as diabetes, kidney disease and Cushing’s disease.

Tests for the ability of the kidneys to concentrate urine may be necessary in some cases if other tests are negative.