Emaciated, feather picking 2yr old hen

[mickeymousears]

Back in December my BRs neck feathers were missing when we got back from vacation- I was blaming the duck- but in the 6 mo since I've seen her picking at the neck pin feathers- and now her stomach is almost bald. Also, and more alarming, she's been steadily loosing weight in the same time frame. She's down to skin and bones now. . Her energy level is normal but egg production is way down.

The duck and the RIR (only 3 birds in my flock) are fat and healthy. I've checked everyone for mites. Everyone was wormed about 3 months ago. They all get more treats then they should. the other 2 pick on the BR and fight her for the treats.

My next idea is to bring her in the house so she can eat without competition- but I'm afraid of what the stress from separation would do.

Any ideas?? What can I do to fatten her up?

 

[Judy]

You could try taking her aside 2 or 3 times a day and feeding her separately, then putting her back with the others. Just feed her til she won't eat any more; it shouldn't take too long, a few minutes, so they shouldn't be bothered by the separation. If they are keeping her from the food, this should help.

 

[mickeymousears]

Thank you! I'm going to see if I can borrow a dog crate tomorrow and make her a little nook in the kitchen. Any idea how long it should take for her to gain weight? When should I start exploring other possibilities??

 

[mickeymousears]

I set her up in a dog kennel- bought her some turkey grower, BOSS, and meal worms. Gave her the crumble mixed with BOSS and she didn't even glance at it. So I'm thinking,"CRAP- she's worse than I thought...there's something else wrong with this chicken". So I threw in some worms & cheese to temp her appetite and she gobbled them up like a starving bird would.
My prognosis has now changed to super picky eater has ONLY been eating treats.

Any suggestions on how to get her to eat the crumbles???