Emaciated girl

[Help_battery_hens]

My Girl Violet (ex battery) is facing her first winter. She taken a bad molt and is emaciated what can I do she gets vits in he water layers pellets available (for ex bats) 24/7 I give them veg/porridge/pasta two portions a day she's ways very active running around and she has lots of new quills coming through but her breastbone is incredibly prominent and I'm getting ver worried. Her eggs are perfect although a very slight drop in numbers 5 a week instead of the usual 7. Any advice would really help

 

[pawsplus]

Add some fat. Mine will eat anything in yogurt--it's best to get FULL FAT Greek yogurt (15-20% fat on the label). Then add ground flax. I use the ground flax I get in 50 lb bags for my horses, but you can just get golden flax seeds at a place like Whole Foods and grind it up a few tablespoons at a time (when you're ready to use it, not in advance b/c it won't be stabilized) using an electric coffee grinder ($20 or so from Target). Add a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup yogurt, stir well, and serve.

BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) is another beloved high fat treat.

 

[SteveBaz]

When hens lay eggs the body changes a bit and it takes a lot out and you need extra everything. Winter is here and they get a bit thin before winter as it turns cold. If they are eating and drinking and do not have mites/lice on them or sores just keep doing what you know is right and that's it short of getting a vet involved.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

The fact that she is laying at all during her molt is a good thing.

I think sometimes we think our birds are very thin when they molt because they just don't have all those fluffy feathers making them look plump. Could that be part of it?

If it were me, I would cut back on things like pasta, which have little nutritional value. Maybe add a little protein to help with the feather growth.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

People often say that extra protein is helpful during a molt. Some people scramble their eggs and feed them to the chickens. Also be on the look out for mites of worms which can rob birds of nutrients.

 

[SteveBaz]

It takes a ton of energy on the birds part to lose and replace all the feathers through a full molt. Meats and proteins. Chickens love veggies but they are really meat eaters and being that there bodies require a lot of supplements by what we feed them.. In choosing for them choose good foods and not foods that have little to no value.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Has she been wormed? Chickens with worms will drop a lot of weight.