Chickens thin in keel

[CatMcNamee]

Hi all. I have had my 3 backyard hens for 3 years now, and they are nearly done their molt. They haven't laid in 2 months, which I attributed to the molt. However, when cleaning the coop and run on the weekend, I palpated their breast tissue, and could feel the keel bone, and the breast is thinner than I would like. I feed Dumor laying feed (free feeding in a step on door feeder), fresh greens, veggie peelings, ground egg shells and I have upped their scratch to a big scoop of about 4c daily. Today I added rolled oats. What am I missing?

 

[sourland]

Have you monitored for worms or wormed them?

 

[CatMcNamee]

No, I haven't. I don't know anything about worming, what products or dosage.

 

[RMK04]

No, I haven't. I don't know anything about worming, what products or dosage.

X2

 

[donrae]

I always advise folks who think their birds are too thin to actually weigh them and see where they are. Laying hens don't have plump breasts, and from what I recall when butchering older layers their body tissue re-distributes some as they age. They gain more fat in the abdomen and above the tail and have less muscle mass compared to a rooster. Just like humans *sigh*.