Emaciated chicken

[mickeymousears]

Help- my girl is going thru a big molt, which allowed me to see that she is terribly underweight....she has next to no breast muscle, very prominent keel- actually caves in on either side :,(

She is the lowest girl, very skittish around the other birds. Almost 4 years old, seems healthy otherwise.

Anyone have a good diet plan to fatten her up?? Her friend died a few months ago (peritonitis) and I rescued 2 older girls so she wasn't totally alone, but they pick on her. She won't eat if they're by the food.

TIA

 

[JensChickies]

Maybe she has some type of underlying infection?? My hen was thin and at the bottom of the pecking order and I figured out that she had some kind of infection. I treated her and she's like a different chicken now. Just curious, what did the other one die of?

 

[MrsBachbach]

Help- my girl is going thru a big molt, which allowed me to see that she is terribly underweight....she has next to no breast muscle, very prominent keel- actually caves in on either side :,(

She is the lowest girl, very skittish around the other birds. Almost 4 years old, seems healthy otherwise.

Anyone have a good diet plan to fatten her up?? Her friend died a few months ago (peritonitis) and I rescued 2 older girls so she wasn't totally alone, but they pick on her. She won't eat if they're by the food.

TIA

It could be not getting enough to eat, or she needs worming or I have even read that Mareks or other disease can cause them to lose weight. Not likely that if she is four years though. First thing I would do is worm her. Then I would add another feeder to the pen well away from the primary feeder. Sometimes birds will run others away from "their" feeders. A little scratch to the diet can help fatten them up. Not too much though. Make sure they have grit if you give them that.

 

[mickeymousears]

Her friend was an internal layer-6mo battle with peritonitis, ascites, possible other internal issues. She had the implant and she stopped laying, but I think it was a day late, dollar short

Anyways, this emaciated girl has a bowl of food on the deck, but when she started molting she stopped coming up. I'm just going to pull her in the house once or twice a day and give her a good meal. I cooked them eggs yesterday, and she was inhaling them as I was standing there- but eventually the other birds came over and she ran off. I give them scratch way more often than I should (I feel guilty for not spending time with them) and daily meal worms because they're molting. I've got a million things going on tomorrow and this weekend, but I'll make a vet apt for Monday- I don't want to worm her unnecessarily, especially when she's in a weakened state already.

Any other foods you can recommend??

 

[MrsBachbach]

Her friend was an internal layer-6mo battle with peritonitis, ascites, possible other internal issues. She had the implant and she stopped laying, but I think it was a day late, dollar short

Anyways, this emaciated girl has a bowl of food on the deck, but when she started molting she stopped coming up. I'm just going to pull her in the house once or twice a day and give her a good meal. I cooked them eggs yesterday, and she was inhaling them as I was standing there- but eventually the other birds came over and she ran off. I give them scratch way more often than I should (I feel guilty for not spending time with them) and daily meal worms because they're molting. I've got a million things going on tomorrow and this weekend, but I'll make a vet apt for Monday- I don't want to worm her unnecessarily, especially when she's in a weakened state already.

Any other foods you can recommend??

Not really. I mean you can feed a chicken almost anything they are willing to eat, but what they really need when molting is extra protein. As long as she is getting that, she should be okay. Unless she has parasites or a disease, I can't think of anything else other than not getting enough nutrition.

 

[JensChickies]

Keep us updated on her, it would be interesting to see what the vet says. You mentioned an implant on the other one? What is that? I'm new to chickens.

 

[sammy56]

Please help yesterday a moll nearly ate my rooster but it couldnt 2 days later I saw he lost on of his wattles will he be fine.

 

[JensChickies]

Please help yesterday a moll nearly ate my rooster but it couldnt 2 days later I saw he lost on of his wattles will he be fine.

Make sure the area is clean. If it's hot to the touch, swollen then he might be working on infection. Clean the area and apply neosporin. But make sure it doesn't have any pain relief in it, like lidocaine.

 

[sammy56]

Thanks

 

[sammy56]

And I have a pullet which is 4 months old shes not eating fine she was fine before I buyed a rooster after that she not eating full tummy and there is no sign of injuries she walks fine please help