Chicken over eating issue

[mmatlock13]

Hey all! I have a speckled Sussex in my flock who keeps over eating to the point that it seems like she is beginning to get a pendulum crop. Any tricks or ideas to make her chill out with food? We keep a little feed in the coop but they primarily forage. We do give them scraps but not daily and not a lot in one go.

 

[gillenwater-farms]

I would try only allowing access to food during specific times of the day such as allowing for morning feed and then all day they can forage.

 

[nuthatched]

Pendulous crop is a preexisting condition, she's 'over eating' because she may always feel hungry.

 

[Al Gerhart]

or she and her mates realize there is a shortage of food so they gorge when it is available out of fear they will go without.

Feed being available 24/7 cures a lot of ills with a flock.

 

[mmatlock13]

Pendulous crop is a preexisting condition, she's 'over eating' because she may always feel hungry.

Is there anything we can do to help her?

 

[mmatlock13]

or she and her mates realize there is a shortage of food so they gorge when it is available out of fear they will go without.

Feed being available 24/7 cures a lot of ills with a flock.

We always have feed out for them

 

[nuthatched]

Is there anything we can do to help her?

A crop bra might help.

 

[Perris]

I have a speckled Sussex in my flock who keeps over eating to the point that it seems like she is beginning to get a pendulum crop. Any tricks or ideas to make her chill out with food? We keep a little feed in the coop but they primarily forage. We do give them scraps but not daily and not a lot in one go.

Birds will consume excess carbohydrates if necessary to try to meet their protein target, so it looks like this particular bird needs more protein than she is getting from your feed and forage.

Offer her some sardines (good protein, lots of other goodies, relatively cheap and available in most supermarkets) and see whether it makes a difference. I would expect it to. Chickens are very good at self-regulating their intake if everything they need is available.

 

[Al Gerhart]

That is the best answer so far.

Feed a proper commercial ration and provide clean fresh water, use bio security to keep the predators at bay and the prey species they feed on away from your coop. That also saves money on feed and limits the new pests like lice and fleas coming into the flock.