Buff eating a lot but super thin

My 10 month old buff Orpington looks and acts like she's in tip top shape but when I pick her up she feels like she's all feathers. Her breast bone is prominent and she hardly has any meat on her bones. My two girls live in the city and due to the season (getting dark early) and my schedule I'm only able to let them on on the weekends. They go through their food fairly fast and when they are out they are great foragers. She's obsessive about her worms. Is this just the nature of her breed? Or could it be worms or parasites or something? I've never wormed them... should I? Is there anything natural that would work for that?

Thank you!

Stephanie

oh, and she lays 4-6 eggs a week.

bump

Stephanie, have you tried adding a little Diatomaceous Earth to their food???
I mix in about 5% "D" Earth to food ratio. I also put some in their nest boxes & the coop floor, (which is dirt), just to be on the safe side. You can get this at the feed stores
Hope this helps!

I would worm them asap! If they are inside except for weekend then they are still "foraging" on the floor of the coop! They have probably eaten some yuckies! It sounds like it could definitely be worm because they are eating so much but not getting the nutrients! I have had to lock mine in for up to a week at a time because of the weather here too! I have been worming them once a month all winter because of it! That may be a bit over-kill but I got nervous because after one of the lockdowns, I lost one of my girls! You are suppose to do it like twice a year I think! This time I would follow the rule to worm and then do it again in 15 days to kill any new hatches! (most wormers don't kill eggs) I use the Ivermectin pour-on for cattle! Works awesome! Large fowl get 5-6 drops on their skin! You have to part the feathers and get it right on skin! Make sure you buy a dropper of some sort though because the bottle only comes with a pourer! Ivermectin pour-on covers all worms except tape-worm and will make sure they have no bugs, like mites or lice, at the same time! One stop shopping!

I also use Diatomaceous Earth in their runs, coops and nest boxes. Helps to really keep stuff out of my babies!

Thank you both. I do have some DE and I think I might try that first. I'm heading to the feed store to pick up some more food today so I'll inquire with them as well. They have a sandy run that I rake out as much as I can but lets face it... it's basically sand with broken down poop. How do you get away from that? Do people completely clean out the runs? I mean, do they take out all the sand and gravel and start from scratch? If so, how many times a year and where/how do you dispose of it?

I have sand in my run, construction sand. If yours is from their poo, it could be worms. I would take a sample into the vet to be on the safe side. If it is worms DE won't get rid of them, it is a prevent. I use DE and I don't worm, but if I had a hen that was bone thin and wasn't brooding eggs I would take a sample in. Be on the safe side and have it checked out.
Michele

A 10 month old BO is going to be pretty skinny just because of its age. BOs are one of the breeds that grow out their skeletons and then once they reach their full skeletal size it seems to take forever for them to reach their full adult weights. That's why they are not great meat birds even with the good body size- they take too long to grow out.

I wouldn't worry too much about her. If you are still worried then worm her, but I don't think it is necessary.

Good luck.

The woman at the feed store said not to worm her unless I see worms and she said I'd definitely "see" them. Well, I haven't, so she suggested I put a Tbsp apple cider vinegar and a Tbsp sugar in their water over the next couple days and to increase their protein by mixing some chick starter with their layer feed. She said with the ACV I should really see a difference. So, that's what I'm doing and I've added some DE to their food and run as a preventative. I really just don't think she's sick at all. But I was concerned about her weight. I am happy to hear CMV's response about BOs being pretty trim until they fully mature. I know they're supposed to develop into pretty big birds.

Thanks ya'll!

I am not trying to be rude, but...completely disregard any advice you get from the feed store. Seriously. More bad advice is given to people by "the guys at the feed store" than anywhere else. If you are truly concerned then you should have a fecal test done by your local vet. Collect some poop from her and send it in to be tested for worms. Quick, simple, not very expensive, and accurate. You may not see worms in your bird's poops. If you actually DO see worms then your bird is riddled with them and is probably already ill from them.

I wish I had a dollar for every piece of bad advice I have heard from feed store employees. I wouldn't be freezing my butt off in NH for the winters...I'd have my second home somewhere in the Caribbean.

X2!! Every time I have asked a question at TSC I might as well be asking my 2 year old!!!!!!

CMV said:

I am not trying to be rude, but...completely disregard any advice you get from the feed store. Seriously. More bad advice is given to people by "the guys at the feed store" than anywhere else. If you are truly concerned then you should have a fecal test done by your local vet. Collect some poop from her and send it in to be tested for worms. Quick, simple, not very expensive, and accurate. You may not see worms in your bird's poops. If you actually DO see worms then your bird is riddled with them and is probably already ill from them.

I wish I had a dollar for every piece of bad advice I have heard from feed store employees. I wouldn't be freezing my butt off in NH for the winters...I'd have my second home somewhere in the Caribbean.

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