Buff Orpington not eating and is quite skinny

[itsjess]

I have a 7 month old BO that isn't eating or drinking much. She is acting normal and I would never have thought otherwise if I hadn't picked her up and realized how skinny she was. She has just a small lump of food in her crop and is still laying eggs. The eggs however have what look like calcified bumps on them. I was thinking about worming her next to see if that helps. Any suggestions on wormer?

 

[21hens-incharge]

No suggestion on wormer but.... I had a poorly leghorn in similar condition. I put her on wet feed and she gained weight very quickly.
Perhaps try fermented feed and see if that helps this chicken.
Is she eating treats when they are given or just not eating at all?
To get her eating try making some scrambled eggs and oatmeal as a treat. It is something mine always dive right into. Or any of her other favorite treats on top of some wet feed.

Brainstorming ideas to get her eating there.....

 

[Teila]

Hi there itsjess and Welcome to BYC

Unfortunately, I do not have a suggestion on a wormer as I am not sure of your location and living in Aus, we could have differing brands etc.

I think that worming her and the rest of the flock for that matter is a good idea and 21hens-incharge has given you some good ideas for getting some weight onto her.

I wonder though whether she is thin because she is having a hard time getting her share of the feed.

Is she low on the pecking order? Could she be being pushed out or bullied away from the food?

I always put down two lots of food, even with my small flock, so that those lower in the pecking order have more chance of getting a good feed.

 

[itsjess]

I have 4 feeders and 8 hens, it does seem like she's at the bottom of the pecking order. I gave her a separate amount this morning and she didn't want anything to do with it. I just switched to pellets (on accident) but that was only about a week ago, could she get that skinny that fast? I just bought mealworms so I'll try that in the morning and I'll separate her and keep an eye on her. I'll also try scrambled eggs. How do I make fermented food? Thank you!

P.S I'm in New Mexico!

 

[21hens-incharge]

There is a wonderfully informative thread on making fermented feed but it is terribly long.
I will summarize for you.

Take regular chicken feed (layer or all flock)
add water until the feed is covered by 1/2 to 1 inch of water
add Apple Cider Vinegar (the kind that is unpasteurized like Braggs brand) 1/2 Tablespoon to 1 Tablespoon per gallon of water

It will expand greatly so use a container that is much taller than the feed you are putting in.
I started with a quart jar filling it only half way. I then graduated to using frosting buckets I got from the gorcery store.(they give them away if you ask at the bakery)
Stir and allow to sit over night and up to 3 days. You may need to add additional water if the mix is very dry. It will need to breathe so cover with plastic wrap with a hole cut in the top or drill holes in the bucket lid for air. It will also have an odor (kind of unpleasant if you ask me) The longer it sits the stronger the odor.

I feed it as more of a wet mash the next morning after making it. My chickens went crazy for it right away.
I would feed 1 cup to the skinny hen where she has NO competition for food two times a day. If she cannot finish it all decrease the amount you give to reduce waste. She should be able to get a good amount in her within 20 to 30 minutes. I locked my other chickens in the run so mine could eat in peace. I also found a frisbee from the local petsmart that cost me only a dollar worked very very well as a dish.

I am sure there are many options for fermented feed. This is just what helped my old skinny hen.

 

[itsjess]

Perfect! I will throw some together in the morning. Thank you.

 

[appps]

Because you mentioned the lump in her crop I'd check that first. Feel her crop before you put her to bed, then check it again first thing in the morning. If it hasn't emptied overnight she may have a slow or impacted crop which would also cause the symptoms you are describing. Also feel one of your healthier birds so you have something to compare her to.

I had this problem with one of mine and it required surgery and the vet pulled out a mass of long grass that hadn't digested and was stopping anything else getting through causing the loss of weight etc.

 

[itsjess]

They had already put themselves to bed by the time I got home but I'll be sure to check in the morning. I could definitely feel the shape of the pellets but nothing else. Are there any home remedies if she does happen to have a slow or impacted crop?

 

[itsjess]

I checked her crop first thing in the morning and it was empty. I gave her mealworms and she gobbled them all up. I'm just gonna separate her a few times a day and feed her a wet mash of chicken food, mealworms and scrambled eggs. Hopefully that helps.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am curious how it went this morning for her. Did she eat a decent amount? Did she eat at all?
I gave mine some wet mash for the first time in a couple weeks. Crazy chickens diving for the spoon I was using to dish it out. It had been so cold the mash had been freezing before they could eat much of it. They were happy campers this morning.

When giving her the mash be careful not to up the protein to much with the mealworms and eggs. I would only give those once a week once she has gained some weight back.