Extremely Light Hen

[capebird]

One of my Barred Rocks, I noticed when I pick her up, is really light in weight. She's almost 4 years old. The other 3 barred rocks are of their normal weight, 5 or 6 pounds…. but for some reason she seems to have lost her poundage. I'd say she weighs about a pound…. she is really light. She's not always been this light and so something is going on with her. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[BellChell123]

Is it possible that she's being picked on, and not being able to get to food? We had a chicken like that, and had to lock her up at night with her own food.

 

[Michael Apple]

Supplementing with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes & probiotics is often done with poultry to improve feed conversion, increase egg quality, fertility, and prevent disease. Many factors can cause loss of weight and anemia. Internal and external parasites are often the culprit if birds are on a well formulated ration. This can be prevented but when symptoms appear, there is no time to waste. Check the bird over it's body by parting the feathers and looking for mites or lice. If no external parasites are seen, look down the throat, check the eyes for clarity, and check the droppings with a bright flashlight for anything wiggling around within them, diarrhea, blood, etc. Internal parasites like protozoa and worms, pathogens, can all cause enteritis which can cause irreversible intestinal damage. You can take the bird to a vet and get a fecal sample examined, or try to treat the bird based upon symptoms.

I would treat for coccidiosis, worm the birds, then supplement with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics in the water.

 

[capebird]

Thanks for the replies.
Michael, when you suggest giving probiotics, electrolytes and vitamins, could you be a bit more specific about what to give them. Thanks.

 

[Michael Apple]

Sure. Products like Avian Super Pack used in conjunction with Probios dispersible powder works well in water.
Avian Super Pack (1/4 tsp per gallon): http://www.asp-inc.com/products/documents/prodinfo/a/aviansp.pdf

Probios (1/2 tsp per gallon): http://www.probios.com/powdersgranules1.html

Pro-Vital makes an excellent product that contains both ingredients:
http://www.jedds.com/-strse-1508/Pigeon-Economy-Plus/Detail.bok

 

[Michael Apple]

Also, I worm with Safe-Guard or Valbazen suspension and a few others. Dosage for SG or Valbazen is 1/2 cc for standard breeds and 1/4 cc for bantams. Dose again 10 days after the first dose. 14 day withdrawal. A 3 cc syringe without a needle works well for administering the oral dose.

Corid 20% powder or 9.6% liquid is often used to treat coccidiosis. Dosage for prevention is 1/2 tsp for powder or 1 tsp for liquid mixed into each gallon of water each day for 5-7 days. For treatment of symptoms, dosage is 1 tsp of powder or 2 tsp of liquid per gallon of water for the same duration of time.