Chickens Refuse to eat- now STARVING! Help!

[Microwave Girl]

Out of 11 hens now about half are refusing to eat. One is so weak she can only stand up for a few seconds unsupported. They are skin and bone. First, they stopped eating out the dry chicken out of their normal feeder. I tried buying new feed: no luck. Tried a different brand: nothing. For about two weeks, they would eat chicken feed soaked in milk if I left in a bowl on the coop floor. Now they've stopped eating that. They will eat dried mealworms, most of them will eat corn (except the two thinnest who refuse that too) and also a few kitchen scraps. Nothing else. I've tried taking the thinnest ones out of the coop and hand feeding them, but they just refuse to eat more than 2 or 3 bites. I'm afraid to keep feeding them mealworms etc, because I know its not a balanced diet. What should I do? Should I keep feeding them "treats" since that is literally the only thing they will eat? Is there some kind of disease that makes chickens stop eating en masse? Their crops are empty so its not impacted crop. They are about a year and a half old. All different breeds. Most of them are still laying, but the eggs are getting smaller and smaller. Egg shells are still firm and actually very thick. Please help me.

 

[BlueBaby]

Are the one's that are eating keeping the starving one's away from the food?

 

[NatJ]

Do they have plenty of water?
Thirsty chickens will not eat dry food (although this is probably not the issue, since you also tried serving their food wet.)

Out of 11 hens now about half are refusing to eat.... I've tried taking the thinnest ones out of the coop and hand feeding them, but they just refuse to eat more than 2 or 3 bites.

You could try putting the skinniest few in a different pen for several days, with a dish of water, a dish of dry food, and a dish of wet food.

Sometimes dominant chickens will chase others away from the feed or the water, so splitting them into two groups will let you see how the thin ones act when the other birds are not present.

Eating only a few bites does seem odd, so I'm not sure what to think about that.

 

[MGG]

Out of 11 hens now about half are refusing to eat. One is so weak she can only stand up for a few seconds unsupported. They are skin and bone. First, they stopped eating out the dry chicken out of their normal feeder. I tried buying new feed: no luck. Tried a different brand: nothing. For about two weeks, they would eat chicken feed soaked in milk if I left in a bowl on the coop floor. Now they've stopped eating that. They will eat dried mealworms, most of them will eat corn (except the two thinnest who refuse that too) and also a few kitchen scraps. Nothing else. I've tried taking the thinnest ones out of the coop and hand feeding them, but they just refuse to eat more than 2 or 3 bites. I'm afraid to keep feeding them mealworms etc, because I know its not a balanced diet. What should I do? Should I keep feeding them "treats" since that is literally the only thing they will eat? Is there some kind of disease that makes chickens stop eating en masse? Their crops are empty so its not impacted crop. They are about a year and a half old. All different breeds. Most of them are still laying, but the eggs are getting smaller and smaller. Egg shells are still firm and actually very thick. Please help me.

Worms are a possibility, have you ever dewormed them?