16mo Buff Orp is painfully thin - and not getting better?

[SilverChickie]

Hi y'all, I've hesitated to post this for a while - I might just be a paranoid chicken mom, but nothing is getting better so I ask for you help now!

My Buff Orpington is about a year and a half old and has always been quite lightweight for and orpington. For the past few months she seems to be getting even skinnier - all the other chickens have been plumping out. I can pinch her breastbone between my fingers- no meat on it at all. I weighed her today and she came in at just about 3 pounds. Her energy is normal and from what I can see she eats and drinks normally, but she just isn't putting on - and maybe even losing - weight. She's also starting to molt and it's getting chilly - tonight instead of settling in the coop with the others she kept running and squashing herself up against the house in a corner. Another contributing factor may be that she's dropped to the bottom of the pecking order.

I made the executive decision to keep her inside tonight - the other chickens were picking and pecking at her and she was freezing. Add that to the fact she hardly weighs three pounds has me worried!

So, BYC, what should I do about my poor sweet chicken?

 

[roxyblue]

Hello there!
I'm sorry to here about your hen. When is the last time you have wormed your flock? make sure she gets a lot of protein and see if she will gain anymore weight. I hope your hen makes a recovery!

 

[SilverChickie]

Thanks for the reply!
This is my first ever flock of chickens and none of them have been wormed. We've been trying to get more protein in, I know that's important.

 

[roxyblue]

Protein is very important, even more so during molting season. Incase you want to worm your flock, which maybe a good idea even if her underweight isue isn't related, then I would try valbazen. You can find it for 26$ at firststatevet.
-Good luck!

 

[jh7192]

First of all, I agree with the other replies;the bird is probably wormy. However, just assuming the bird is wormy is bad medicine. Prior to treatment, get a fecal examination. A fecal axamination will determine if the bird is wormy and which worms are present. I'll bet the bird is infected with Capillaria worms.
How to get a fecal examination? Since you are in PA, you can call the PA Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg 717 787 8808. Ask for Dr. Paul Miller. He will guide you from there.
Be sure to get feces from the bird in question by penning her up for a few hours and collecting fresh feces in the isolation pen.
Should the bird not be wormy, Dr Miller will be happy to post the bird and determine what is wrong with it.

 

[SilverChickie]

Oops, you got me confused with another poster - I'm in AZ!

 

[SilverChickie]

So for now should I just try to boost up the protein? I don't want to medicate unnecessarily if I can avoid it, but if the protein doesn't make her put on some weight I'll consider it.

 

[rancher hicks]

I say quarantine her and see if she's eating and drinking. Also if you have not wormed your birds and live in a wet area you might want to consider it.

One rule of thumb is to have two feeders far apart. Since those on the bottom of the pecking order may not get enough.

I have two SLW's in with some BR's and they jump down each morning and raid the feeder. I toss scratch in and outside the coop so they can get some. I keep hoping things will improve, but since they were not raised from chicks with the others, they may not integrate well.

I wish you well.

Rancher

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
Pumpkin seeds are great for worming as well if you don't want to medicate.

 

[ChicknThief]

Quote:
Pumpkin seeds are great for worming as well if you don't want to medicate.

Really? I have never heard of that... Have you tried it? That is quite intrigueing.