4,777 answers about horses & farm animals
Horses and farm animals run on routine — feeding schedules, hoof and health care, safe fencing and calm handling, in all weather. This page gathers the horse and farm animal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic from daily care to travel and senior animals. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
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409 answers in Senior Pets — page 5 of 18
An aging Silkie hen often seems to eat hardly anything at all, yet the real changes are subtler: long broody spells suppress her appetite for weeks, her low place in a mixed flock limits what she actually gets, and her tiny frame loses weight that her enormous fluff completely disguises. A Silkie who feels bony the…
An aging Rhode Island Red often keeps the bold, feed-first attitude she had as a layer while the egg output that justified it falls away, so early old age in this breed frequently means weight gain rather than loss. She ranges a little less, rests through the middle of the day, and still arrives at the feeder at a…
An aging Pygmy goat commonly eats more slowly, quids his hay into dropped wads instead of swallowing it, and loses weight along his topline even while his belly still looks satisfyingly round. Worn or missing teeth are the usual engine of the change in this small breed, because a Pygmy who cannot grind long hay takes…
An aging Plymouth Rock hen typically lays less often, eats with less urgency around the feeder, and gains weight easily at first because this calm dual-purpose breed keeps a good appetite while her activity and egg output fall. Later in old age the pattern can reverse, as worn joints, a slower crop or younger…
An aging Pekin duck often eats in a less steady pattern, dabbling eagerly at greens and water some days and leaving pellets barely touched on others, while her heavy frame can quietly gain fat even as egg laying fades. The opposite also happens: sore feet or a stiff gait can keep her from the feeder, so weight slips…
An aging Orpington chicken usually keeps a calm, steady appetite while her activity and laying fall away, so this heavy, gentle breed most often gains weight in old age, with fat building under feathers too full to reveal it. Loss happens too, commonly when a low-ranking senior is quietly outcompeted or broodiness…
An aging Nubian goat typically eats with the enthusiasm of the dairy breed she is, yet her weight increasingly depends on whether she is still milking, because a producing Nubian pours intake into the pail while a retired one stores the same ration as fat. Senior loss, when it comes, often starts with worn teeth…
An aging Nigerian Dwarf goat often keeps a bright, pushy appetite while her small frame gains weight surprisingly fast once milking and youthful activity slow, because a little extra feed goes a long way on so little goat. The opposite pattern, quiet weight loss, usually traces to worn teeth, herd mates monopolising…
An aging Mustang often stays a notably easy keeper well into old age, holding weight on modest forage, until worn teeth or a dropping herd rank finally reverse the pattern and condition falls faster than owners expect. Early senior change usually appears as lost topline and a ribbier look under a thick coat rather…
An aging Muscovy duck commonly slows down before its appetite fades, grazing and wandering less while still eating steadily, so many senior Muscovies gain weight, especially heavy drakes. Extra bulk strains legs that already carry one of the heaviest domestic duck frames, while genuine loss hides under loose skin and…
An aging Leghorn chicken usually keeps a busy, scratching appetite but holds less and less spare condition, because Leghorns are light, active layers who run lean even in their prime. As laying eases, a healthy senior may finally carry a touch more cover, yet worn foraging efficiency and flock competition more often…
An aging Kunekune pig commonly keeps a devoted appetite while grazing and rooting less, and that mismatch makes steady weight gain the breed's most typical senior change. Kunekune are grazing pigs built to thrive on grass, so rich extras pile on fat that gathers around the neck, jowls, and over the eyes. Loss happens…
An aging Khaki Campbell duck often eats with undiminished enthusiasm while her weight quietly follows her laying curve downward, because this breed pours an unusual share of intake into eggs. As laying thins out, some senior hens stabilise and even soften in condition, while hens who keep laying into old age can feel…
An aging Indian Runner duck usually stays keen to forage but covers less ground, catches fewer insects, and loses the little spare condition its upright, slim frame can afford. Runners were never padded birds, so weight loss shows quickly as a prominent keel and a narrower body when you pick the duck up. Appetite can…
An aging Embden goose usually grazes for shorter spells, rests more between bouts, and either trims down as worn grazing efficiency falls or gains soft weight around the abdomen when activity drops faster than appetite. Embden are heavy birds, so extra weight presses hard on legs and feet, while hidden loss shows…
An aging Dorper sheep often keeps a strong appetite and holds or even gains weight at first, because Dorpers are thrifty sheep bred to convert modest forage efficiently. The hidden change is composition: muscle fades over the back and hindquarters while fat cover stays, so condition feels softer rather than thinner.…
An aging Boer goat often eats more slowly, leaves coarse stems behind, and loses muscle along the topline and hindquarters even when the belly still looks round. Worn or loose teeth make long hay harder to chew, so weight can slip quietly while younger herd mates finish first at the rack. Feel over the spine and ribs…
An aging Berkshire pig commonly gains weight rather than losing it: appetite stays hearty in this food-loving breed while activity drops, so condition piles on and loads aging joints. At the same time, worn teeth or a sore mouth can make an individual senior eat slowly, drop feed, or favour soft meals, and a sudden…
An aging Angora goat commonly loses weight quietly under its heavy fleece while appetite fades in small steps: slower trips to the rack, more feed left, and less cud-chewing between meals. The mohair coat hides condition so well that shearing often reveals a much thinner goat than anyone expected, and worn teeth plus…
An aging Alpine goat commonly eats a little less eagerly, chews more slowly, and drifts downward in weight, though some seniors instead gain weight as activity falls faster than appetite. Worn or loose teeth are a frequent cause of change in this dairy breed, showing as dropped half-chewed feed, longer meals, or a…
A senior Rhode Island Red chicken should have a vet checkup about twice as often as a younger adult: once a year is a reasonable pattern for a healthy young Red, while a senior does better seen every six months. Reds are hardy, vigorous birds who keep laying and foraging impressively late, which can disguise the wear…
A senior Plymouth Rock chicken should have a veterinary checkup about twice as often as a younger adult: once a year suits a healthy young Rock, while a senior does better being seen every six months. Plymouth Rocks are calm, heavy, long-lived hens, and that steadiness hides slow problems such as creeping weight gain,…
A senior Khaki Campbell duck should see a veterinarian about twice as often as a younger adult: once a year is a fair rhythm for a healthy young Campbell, while a senior does better with a checkup every six months. Campbells were bred to lay heavily, and an older female carries the wear of that production in her bones…
A senior Indian Runner duck should have a vet checkup about twice as often as a younger adult: annually is a reasonable rhythm for a healthy young Runner, while a senior does better seen every six months. Runners are upright, busy birds, and an older one who stops patrolling, stands hunched instead of bolt-upright, or…
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