Chicken losing weight, how do I fatten her up?

[prncs13]

My hen Rita is 5 years old and a sex link. She is eating and drinking and pooping just fine. Took her to the vet and she has no parasites in her poop. She is 3.5 lbs and she used to weigh 6ish. She is in the yard with the other hens, tail is down a little but she is still moving around. She has been sleeping in the nest box for the last week but I thought it was because she was cold. Tonight she was trying to sleep on the floor so I'm guessing she is too weak and skinny to get on the roost so I put her in the box. Her color is good. I give her bread or tomatoes or oatmeal and she dives on it like the rest of them. I only know she got skinny because I picked her up to clean a bunch of poop off her butt. She has one of those fluffy butts where poop accumulates in the downy feathers. Any tips on trying to get her bulked up again. Other than being skinny and kind of slow she is doing fine.

Thanks.
Michelle

 

[welasharon]

Pull her off to herself so she can fill up without competing with the others. Offer her some scrambled egg also. THere have been some posts you could search for that tells foods to feed chickens that need plumping up.

sharon

 

[JoshDeere]

when you let the chickens outt don't let her out and give her, while she is in the coop by her self, fresh food and some table scraps. that usually does the trick!!!!!!!

 

[justineflake]

That is a problem on which I have no idea

 

[kuntrygirl]

If it were me, I would allow her to eat alone for every meal. I would feed a higher protein feed. Because I have turkeys that eat 30% protein game bird feed, I have the extra protein feed already on hand.

 

[prncs13]

I know she isn't competing with anyone. I've been watching and she is actually number 2 in command but I think I will mix finisher in with all the food (it is winter) and add some kelp. But I'll make her some special batches of eggs and buttermilk and I usually make them all oatmeal once a week so maybe I will keep extra aside for her. Today she came bounding out and was bug hunting. Maybe avocado too, that has some good fat in it. Someone suggested tuna since it is a high protein.

Thanks for all the advice. She seems pretty good except the weight. It is so weird.

M