What is going on???

[junebuggena]

I have 12 chickens, 14 to 16 weeks old. They eat at least a pound or two of flock raiser feed a day. Mine also free range. A cup and half of feed is not going to be enough. A two week old chick might eat that much in a day. But 8 4 month old birds need a lot more. Keep your feeders full of good quality feed. They are growing birds and need proper nutrition.

 

[Petuniapig]

I turn them out during the day and they free range, I have had them for years, never have problems and get tons of eggs, so many in fact I am starting to get sick of them lol, I bet I have 100 eggs in my fridge right now..smh. I do not have a rooster so they are not fertile. I have been boiling them and pickling them. I must be doing something right.

Everyone has thier own way and this is mine. BAck to the OP...I think the chickens are starving to death

 

[lifeoffaith]

The birds last year were still very young, but I suppose it is possible they didn't get enough. I thought for sure they were getting more than enough. This years were older, but I only had 8, total. That was 7 OF 8 not 7 OR 8. I am just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, because I thought they were getting enough. There have never been any indications that they weren't. They are not skinny or anything, seemed to be fattening up quite nice in fact. How much should I be feeding 8 birds? It was layer feed from tractor supply I was feeding them last year, with the occasional run around the yard for bugs and greens. This year I've combined layer and cracked corn. I'm sick about how many birds I've lost and really want to know what I'm doing wrong so this doesn't happen again. I honestly thought that sickness had taken them last year, but I couldn't figure out what they had because there were no real symptoms.

This brings me to another question based on your suggestions above. What is free feeding?

 

[junebuggena]

Do not feed layer feed until they are all actually laying. It contains way too much calcium for developing birds, and not enough protein. Cracked corn is like candy for chickens. It has very little nutrition. Free feeding means keeping feed available all day long, and refilling feeders as needed.

 

[junebuggena]

Also, if you weren't feeding medicated feed to your first batch of chicks, they most likely died from a combination of malnutrition and coccidiosis. Coccidia could still be present in the soil, so I recommend that you switch your current chicks to medicated chick starter and treat all you flock for coccidia.

 

[lifeoffaith]

Is there a natural way to treat for that? I'd really like to keep my birds as natural as possible.

 

[junebuggena]

The medication for coccidia is not actually a medicine. It's amprollium, a thiamin blocker. It prevents the coccidia from developing inside the chicks guts. It doesn't absorb into tissues and passes through the chicken. It won't end up in meat or eggs.

 

[lifeoffaith]

Dang, I wish I would have thought to ask this question earlier.

 

[lifeoffaith]

Ok, will it treat existing coccidia, or just prevent future. And when do I stop using the medicated feed?

 

[junebuggena]

They will build up a resistance to the coccidia on your property. There are at least nine different strains of coccidia, resistance to one, does not mean resistant to all. Your birds most likely have a serious load of the protozoa in their guts and need a heavier dose of the medication than just what's in the medicated feed. Once treated, they should be fine as long as you follow up their care with proper nutrition. Any new bird you acquire, regardless of age, may get coccidiosis, as it can persist in soil for many years.