All chickens skinny help!

[abooot99]

So apparently all of my birds are skinny...I don't see any worms in their poop and all poop looks normal...
All are eating except my polish...she's just standing there and has been obviously not well for a week or so...

Here's what I did- i mixed rooster booster in their food and today is day 4 of that.

Polish isn't eating evidenced by no palpable crop.

I placed electrolytes in water and gave all a lg pea size dose of safeguard paste...

What the hell.. Polish is 6 or 7. Hardly any eggs from all of them. Molted in September...


I'm feeling pretty bad that 1- they are all skinny and two- this happens to me- get a sick chicken every yr and end up losing one in all of the 7 yrs I've had chickens. Usually it's emaciated by the end and despite my best efforts- dies... I am beyond frustrated and haven't been able to keep the flock intact. Fail...

 

[fried green eggs]

Try adding a Tablespoon of Black Strap Molasses to 1 gallon drinking water to help them expel worms. Also check that Mites or lice is not the issue. If they have a infestation that can cause them to not eat well and not thrive. Good Luck.

 

[fried green eggs]

Also don't beat yourself up - chickens are very good at hiding illness or stress and will sometimes just die for no known reason. All you can do is try to keep everything as clean as possible, them as comfortable as possible and keep worms, lice and mites at bay and treat as often as needed.

 

[RachelleM1986]

I agree with "fried green eggs" to check for lice/mites, and to not beat yourself up. I've had plenty of chickens randomly die without an explanation, only to find out later what had happened I'm sorry you're experiencing this, it's never fun.

This may be a dumb question, but what feed do they get? My husband and I own a feed store where I live, and for some reason, people think it's okay to just feed chickens scratch...which is not the case. I really get a lot of people saying "I never knew scratch wasn't a complete feed!" It's more common than not, but if they're only getting scratch, then definitely switch to lay pellets/crumbles/mash asap. Also, try scrambling up some eggs for them every day, with oatmeal and any veggies you can find in the fridge. The eggs are loaded with protein, the oatmeal is loaded with fiber and is a filler, and veggies, well, veggies are just good for chickens in general After that, if you have access to barley/wheat fodder, definitely give that to them - it's sprouted barley or sprouted wheat, and it's fantastic for protein content. If you can't find the fodder itself, try seeing if your local feed store has the seeds at all - barley or wheat - and soak them overnight. Simply soaking the seeds increases their protein content and will help the birds gain weight.

As a preventative measure, try adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to their water - it helps keep worms, parasites and illnesses at bay. Also helps to keep mites/lice away too, makes their skin taste nasty to the bugs. If you find mites/lice on your flock, dust them with food-grade diatomaceous earth, or wood ash. All it takes is one dusting, wait a week, and dust again, then check a few weeks later in case any eggs hatched. I use DE for worming all of my animals as well - goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, geese, dogs, cats...it works for everything. Keep in mind that sometimes worms can be too small/unrecognizable in the poo, so worming is definitely a must regardless of if you can see any or not.

Hopefully this helps a little, good luck with the gals, it's never fun seeing them get sick

 

[abooot99]

Thanks for the reassurance. It is just so frustrating...
I feed layer crumble.
I found a mild infestation of lice last week and so dusted them with DE.
I attempted to deworm them with DE at the same time I dusted them but I didn't really research it too much and just sprinkled in their feeder.
I feed them any left overs I think they will eat including fruit and veggies, left over pastas and sides. They usually get something daily. Also cereal and whatever my toddlers eating...lol

I have put acv in at times but it's been a while. Tried fermented feed briefly this summer.

I am quite pressed for time as I have two very young boys at home and work full time.

I'm really hoping the wormer does the trick.

I also panicked and ordered sulmet so it should be delivered tomorrow. Should I treat with this also?

I am reluctant to bring my polish in the house because it seems that whenever a bird comes in, I lose them...I've gad little luck nursing a chicken back to health and with one of my first ones, I ended up bringing her to a vet, dropped 400-500 bucks and she died anyway. Necropsy indicated congestive heart failure. Ugh...

That's my M O I guess. I had a leopard gecko that got sick, I brought her to the vet ($400 later) and she died the day she came home as she was gravid and egg bound. Omg. I try so hard to do the right thing and guilt brings me to research and obsess, glued to the forum while my little boys are lighting my house on ffire...well not really but you get the idea....

 

[Toddrick]

Even though they may not be molting, it should be normal for laying to slow down a lot because of the shorter days. If they aren't laying as much, then they probably don't need as much calcium. I've been mixing layer feed with starter feed, about half and half, plus providing a separate bowl of starter feed, scratch, and wheat as a snack inside the coop. I'm pretty sure the extra protein will fatten them up quicker. My birds gained weight pretty quick this way. I also try and give them raw protein treats.

If you really want to know what is wrong with your Polish, then try getting a fresh fecal sample to the vet for analysis. I hear this alone is usually under $30,and will tell you if there are worms, Cocci or other bad stuff. That way at least you'll know for sure.

 

[abooot99]

Thank you for the information. Just an update my chicken since being dewormed two days ago already seem to be perking up especially the two sick ones won't lose them after all thank you so much

 

[dawg53]

I agree with "fried green eggs" to check for lice/mites, and to not beat yourself up. I've had plenty of chickens randomly die without an explanation I'm sorry you're experiencing this, it's never fun.

This may be a dumb question, but what feed do they get? My husband and I own a feed store where I live, and for some reason, people think it's okay to just feed chickens scratch...which is not the case. I really get a lot of people saying "I never knew scratch wasn't a complete feed!" It's more common than not, but if they're only getting scratch, then definitely switch to lay pellets/crumbles/mash asap. Also, try scrambling up some eggs for them every day, with oatmeal and any veggies you can find in the fridge. The eggs are loaded with protein, the oatmeal is loaded with fiber and is a filler, and veggies, well, veggies are just good for chickens in general After that, if you have access to barley/wheat fodder, definitely give that to them - it's sprouted barley or sprouted wheat, and it's fantastic for protein content. If you can't find the fodder itself, try seeing if your local feed store has the seeds at all - barley or wheat - and soak them overnight. Simply soaking the seeds increases their protein content and will help the birds gain weight.

As a preventative measure, try adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to their water - it helps keep worms, parasites and illnesses at bay. Also helps to keep mites/lice away too, makes their skin taste nasty to the bugs. If you find mites/lice on your flock, dust them with food-grade diatomaceous earth, or wood ash. All it takes is one dusting, wait a week, and dust again, then check a few weeks later in case any eggs hatched. I use DE for worming all of my animals as well - goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, geese, dogs, cats...it works for everything. Keep in mind that sometimes worms can be too small/unrecognizable in the poo, so worming is definitely a must regardless of if you can see any or not.

Hopefully this helps a little, good luck with the gals, it's never fun seeing them get sick :

You are correct about most worms being too small/unrecognizable in poo. You are incorrect about DE and apple cider vinegar in helping keep parasites, worms, and illnesses at bay. DE is ineffective when wet, just like inside animals innards. I've always used ACV in water for my birds and they got worms.
If you're going to worm poultry, use real wormers such as valbazen or safeguard or other wormers as with other livestock.

 

[dawg53]

Thank you for the information. Just an update my chicken since being dewormed two days ago already seem to be perking up especially the two sick ones won't lose them after all thank you so much

Get a fresh fecal sample to a vet like Toddrick mentioned, then you'll know if you're dealing with cocci or worm oocysts.

 

[enola]

Molasses also won't treat worms in any way.