Afraid I'm somehow (accidentally) killing my pullets!

[BlueBaby]

Thanks so, SO much for the encouragement and suggestions, everyone! I did the mash with some scrambled eggs (plus a very small dish of plain yogurt as a treat); they loved it and it made me feel better to see them chowing down on something so nutrient-dense. I also mixed some food-grade DE into their feed. Tomorrow I'm going to get another waterer and add some electrolyte to it so they have the option of that plus plain water.

I'm in Wisconsin so the last thing I'd have expected was overheating birds! I've been taking their food and water with them to the shaded run (which I move daily) and it's also been cool and breezy out, so there's been no more overheating. But yeah, I do have some very thin girls. Didn't make it to the vet with a poo sample today but I still plan to do it even though it all looks normal. I'm mainly anxious about the skinniest one, a BCM who is also the largest; I'd like to think she's been putting her energy into growth but Google is scaring me with much worse ideas. I'd cart her in to the vet just for peace of mind but I don't want to stress her unless I really need to, and she seems more or less as active and healthy-looking as her sisters. I fixed the fence today so they'll be free-range in a protected 1/4-acre area starting tomorrow.

Funny thing is, if the fence hadn't been damaged, I might never have realized what was going on with them since the extent of my handling is usually hand-feeding and petting. So that's just one more lesson learned: petting them while they sit on my knee is not enough handling to be fully aware of their physical condition!

Again, thanks so much, everyone.

I'm glad that you seem to be getting things ironed out on your problem with them.

 

[timebider]

Sad news. My girl has lost so much weight, despite everything I've done, that I can now easily see her breastbone standing out. She seems hungry and eats pretty much everything I offer; I don't know how much she's drinking but clean water is readily available. Still at a more or less normal activity level - running around with the others, etc. OF COURSE tomorrow is a holiday so I can't get a fecal and/or her into a vet. I now suspect worms, because what else can it really be, but everything I read says it's pointless to worm her unless I know what kind of worms she has (assuming she has them, and assuming I can find worming products at the stores). Should I separate her so she's not so active? Really scared that she won't make it to Tuesday at this rapid rate of weight loss. Any additional ideas will be gratefully received.

 

[BlueBaby]

Sad news. My girl has lost so much weight, despite everything I've done, that I can now easily see her breastbone standing out. She seems hungry and eats pretty much everything I offer; I don't know how much she's drinking but clean water is readily available. Still at a more or less normal activity level - running around with the others, etc. OF COURSE tomorrow is a holiday so I can't get a fecal and/or her into a vet. I now suspect worms, because what else can it really be, but everything I read says it's pointless to worm her unless I know what kind of worms she has (assuming she has them, and assuming I can find worming products at the stores). Should I separate her so she's not so active? Really scared that she won't make it to Tuesday at this rapid rate of weight loss. Any additional ideas will be gratefully received.

I'm sorry to hear that, and I hope that she will make it though this. If it is some sort of worm or something, your whole flock that she has been kept with might all have to be treated to make sure that the others don't have the beginnings of the same thing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sad news. My girl has lost so much weight, despite everything I've done, that I can now easily see her breastbone standing out. She seems hungry and eats pretty much everything I offer; I don't know how much she's drinking but clean water is readily available. Still at a more or less normal activity level - running around with the others, etc. OF COURSE tomorrow is a holiday so I can't get a fecal and/or her into a vet. I now suspect worms, because what else can it really be, but everything I read says it's pointless to worm her unless I know what kind of worms she has (assuming she has them, and assuming I can find worming products at the stores). Should I separate her so she's not so active? Really scared that she won't make it to Tuesday at this rapid rate of weight loss. Any additional ideas will be gratefully received.

Can you tell us the brand of chick starter you are using?
Photos of her and her poop may be helpful as well.
Are you leaving the food out so they can eat free choice or are you feeding them at set times.

Bring her in so you can monitor her food/water intake, take a look at her poop and see how she is acting. Offer chick starter free choice. You can also offer some hard boiled egg for protein. No treats, just chick starter and egg if you have it.
Make sure she is drinking.

It's possible she could have worms, but you want to try to see how she is eating. See if her crop is full before she goes to bed (lights out) and then empty first thing in the morning before she eats or drink. This will help to know if the problem is crop related.

Any other symptoms that you can think of?

 

[timebider]

Can you tell us the brand of chick starter you are using?
Photos of her and her poop may be helpful as well.
Are you leaving the food out so they can eat free choice or are you feeding them at set times.

Bring her in so you can monitor her food/water intake, take a look at her poop and see how she is acting. Offer chick starter free choice. You can also offer some hard boiled egg for protein. No treats, just chick starter and egg if you have it.
Make sure she is drinking.

It's possible she could have worms, but you want to try to see how she is eating. See if her crop is full before she goes to bed (lights out) and then empty first thing in the morning before she eats or drink. This will help to know if the problem is crop related.

Any other symptoms that you can think of?

I'm using the organic chick starter from My Pet Chicken, given free choice day and night. I've been giving mashes made of crushed hard-boiled egg, water and her regular feed. I brought her and a friend (for moral support) in to a pen in the garage tonight; their high activity level out in the chicken lot can't be helping. She is eating but not drinking as much as I think maybe she should. She has regular water and electrolyte water in the garage with her.

From what I've been reading, I'd swear she has coccidiosis (all of them, actually; they're all thin, it's just she's the worst) but I've seen no bloody poops, just the occasional somewhat runny one. I took a sample of hers for the vet right after putting her in the garage and it was the same as ever; fairly firm and no evidence of discoloration. I've decided to get Corid tomorrow even without a diagnosis, since they're all eating but still losing condition. I don't want to risk waiting for a fecal smear when the vets open on Tuesday in case it is cocci. Though this pullet is acting normally and has certainly been running around quite energetically, I don't see how she can sustain this kind of weight loss much longer.

I provided chick grit right up until they began going outside (which is when all of this began), and now I occasionally still put out a dish of it, but I don't yet know anything about their crops. I'll have to try to find a diagram or video to show me where it is and how it should be/feel. I wish I'd had chickens before and/or that these were older, so I'd have more of an idea of what behaviors/appearance are normal and what aren't, but these are my first-ever. Thanks so much!

 

[AmandaMBG]

The crop is in the right front chest. If full you will be able to visibly see it if looking at the chest from above. If you feel the right front chest and you don't feel anything on the right side then their crop is empty.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Quote:
You can treat for cocci it won't hurt them. Just make sure this is the only water available during the 5-7day treatment period. Make a fresh batch at least every day.

You mention you provided chick grit up until they began going outside. If they are eating grass, bugs, etc. outside then make grit available free choice. Just place it in a dish near their feeder.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

I think pics might be helpful, as a previous comment suggested. It doesn't sound like they are acting sick, unless I am missing something, and so it is possible that they are not as underweight as they seem. I have dual-purpose heritage breeds, and they are really not super plump. I bet people on this thread who know a lot more than I do will be able to tell you more specifically whether you need to worry, and what to do, with some pics.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

9 week old birds are pretty skinny. They are young and growing and will feel thin. Feeding eggs will make their poops a bit loose and stinky. It sounds like you are worrying too much. What I have found is chickens are either healthy, or sick and dead, and there isn't much in between. If they are active and eating they are fine. Sick chickens sit hunched up with their eyes closed.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

A metal roof is not like an oven lol!!! My coop has a metal roof and we are in the desert and its 10-20 deg cooler in the coop than in the run. My chickens literally stay in there all day on hot days which is most days in the summer. You can see them randomly bolt out and then back in to check if it's gotten any cooler outside and hasn't. Panting and holding out their wings is inevitable depending on where you live. As long as they are not lethargic and eating/drinking I wouldn't worry too much. None of my birds (well except my Dominique rooster) have very much meat. It's just the nature of the beast living and running around in high heat. If you are worried about parasites you could always add some Food grade DE to their feed for a bit.

9 week old birds are pretty skinny. They are young and growing and will feel thin. Feeding eggs will make their poops a bit loose and stinky. It sounds like you are worrying too much. What I have found is chickens are either healthy, or sick and dead, and there isn't much in between. If they are active and eating they are fine. Sick chickens sit hunched up with their eyes closed.

Yes, I hesitate to offer too much of an opinion as I am kind of new, but my instinct was the same as these two posts -- they kind of sound normal skinny for their age, and it is a good sign that they are acting normal and healthy. I get being worried, though! I thought sending pics might allow you to get more reassurance.