Chicken Health

[DaniInquiries]

Is it normal to feel a hen's breast bones? The other day I picked up one of our chickens Gus Gus and she seemed a little light, i could feel some of her bones whenever i placed my hand on the bottom, she along with another hen are bit smaller than the others of the same breed but i'm not sure if that's because the others are just that much fatter. The pic is her when her crop was full (sometimes it feels like a little hard ball in there, google says it should be firm but squishie), and the brown stuff is just dirt since it's been really muddy from all the rain.

 

[ksbkeys]

Is it normal to feel a hen's breast bones? The other day I picked up one of our chickens Gus Gus and she seemed a little light, i could feel some of her bones whenever i placed my hand on the bottom, she along with another hen are bit smaller than the others of the same breed but i'm not sure if that's because the others are just that much fatter. The pic is her when her crop was full (sometimes it feels like a little hard ball in there, google says it should be firm but squishie), and the brown stuff is just dirt since it's been really muddy from all the rain.

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Is she acting otherwise healthy? If so, maybe she is at the bottom of the pecking order and not "permitted" to eat her fill. Perhaps you could slip her extra treats if this is the case.

 

[DaniInquiries]

Yes, other than she's supper lively. Is there any way we can get her to the top of the pecking order and perhaps rule the world?

 

[Iluveggers]

Do you put out multiple feeders? I have a couple scattered around, and also put a few handfuls of feed on the ground in random spots, especially in the winter when there is less available to forage in the yard. That way my lower-on-the-pecking-order hens can find a place to eat in peace.