Am I feeding enough?

[Siler]

I'm not sure if this is the correct section or not. My hens are almost a year old and after a very long and cold winter here in Indiana my hens seem a bitter lighter now. They did visually get skinnier this winter but they were still laying eggs so I wasn't *too* worried although it did worry me some. I can feel their breast bone and that scares me a lot. I cannot afford to lay down food and feed them 24hrs so I feed them morning and night. They get kitchen scraps from not only me but 2 other family members. They also free-range on several acres of lush land. They seem to just be pooping all the food right out. I do try to examine their waste and it all varies from lots of texture to a runny mess(the same chicken can have 2 different stool samples in the same day). I have never purchased grit to feed them. Does this factor into my issue? Any opinions or things I may have left out would be greatly appreciated. They're for eggs only, but it wouldn't hurt to put a little meat on their bones.

 

[enola]

If they free-range, they will not need grit. They will get all the grinding material they need from the ground.

 

[chicmom]

Hi there!

You've got alot of good questions and concerns. Now, the first thing that comes to mind is the grit.....this is something I recently learned myself.....if they're free ranging alot, then it's really not necessary to provide grit because they get it from mother nature. BUT during the winter, when they're cooped up more due to severe weather, it's very important to supply the grit because they can actually starve without it. The grit is really needed for proper digestion.

Also, when your chickens are cooped up for the winter, they are pooping in their coop and walking in it alot more than when it's nice out and they get to free range. So, they are exposed to worms more. So, it would be really good for your chickens to be wormed. You can buy the worming meds at TSC and you put it in their drinking water.....
I think you will find that if you worm them, they might gain their weigh back. Chickens with worms can eat and eat and still not gain weight.

Good luck with your hens!

Sharon

 

[babyblue]

I agree with the worming. anything that eats can get worms. we picked up some wazine from tsc and used that in the drinkign water. the two week wait is annoying but its better now then when the girls are in the full swing of summer laying.

 

[Siler]

Ok so it's possible that during the winter when they didn't have access to grit that they were literally starving. That's hard to take but that can make sense. I suffer from a digestive order myself so understanding the digestive process is my specialty. If food is not broken down properly then it basically goes in one end and straight out the other without supplying the body of necessary nutrients.

During the deworming process I've read that it's suggested that the eggs be thrown out. Is this paramount or is it ok to eat these eggs?

 

[newchicksnducks]

You really want to throw the eggs away for the two week period. The dewormer is not meant for human consumption.

 

[dangerouschicken]

You might give them some treats every few days like Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) and corn. They love this stuff, it brings their weight back up, and with the free ranging, they should come back stong

Good luck!

 

[gumpsgirl]

I always offer feed free choice and if your birds are free ranging, they will only eat what they need. The table scraps help a lot in that area too.

I saw where one poster suggested worming. This could also be an issue if you have never wormed before. Birds that free range most definitely need to be wormed twice a year and if not twice, at least once.

I would recommend that you start there and do go ahead and add some black oiled sunflower seeds to their diet. They have a ton of protein in them and the chickens go nuts over them!

 

[Siler]

Do the seeds need to be hulled or is it ok to feed them whole?

I will do a little research on the worms. I'm not too keen on having to throw away eggs for two weeks. Does anyone have a familiarity with a human safe dewormer so I don't have to throw out the eggs?