Fat hen

[Beauty99]

Hi ....
I have a hen she’s 1 year and 4 month old, she has no diseases or illness but i used to feed her alot cause i love her so much she’s a pet, and she actually eats alot looks for food alot, everytime i feel her crop it’s full , well lately i’ve noticed she became fat and she moves slowly, she runs too but not like before i’m worried this will cause her illness or make her so lazy , what can i do for her? Pls help me

 

[SueT]

Fatness can cause illness in chickens, other animals and people as well. If you love her, give her nothing but chicken feed.

 

[Acre4Me]

Does she get chicken feed? If so, does it make up 90% or greater of her food intake?

Does she get “treats”? If so, what treats and how much?

Does she have access to grit if she is getting food besides chicken feed?

Does she have any other chicken companions?

 

[morganalefae]

Hi ....
I have a hen she’s 1 year and 4 month old, she has no diseases or illness but i used to feed her alot cause i love her so much she’s a pet, and she actually eats alot looks for food alot, everytime i feel her crop it’s full , well lately i’ve noticed she became fat and she moves slowly, she runs too but not like before i’m worried this will cause her illness or make her so lazy , what can i do for her? Pls help me

Agreed with above feed her only layers and no extra treats for awhile once she is not so fat a few greens/corn scratch would be ok once in awhile. Any thing that eats to much will get sick in some form. being fat could cause to much stress on her little body and she might just keel over one night/day. so please layers only for awhile.

 

[Acre4Me]

Since she’s eating the correct food (primarily formulated chicken feed), I would wonder about illness of some sort. Has she been laying eggs? Is she molting? Maybe she has an internal problem that is causing her to be bloated. Have you checked for external parasites? Or maybe a wound that is not readily apparent (hidden by feathers), but might be infected? Do her feet and legs look ok (mites on the legs can cause a chicken to seem ill or Bumblefoot in the bottom of a foot). How about her vent - does it look normal?

 

[Beauty99]

Agreed with above feed her only layers and no extra treats for awhile once she is not so fat a few greens/corn scratch would be ok once in awhile. Any thing that eats to much will get sick in some form. being fat could cause to much stress on her little body and she might just keel over one night/day. so please layers only for awhile.

Thanks, but does that mean chicken lose weight too?

 

[townchicks]

What kind of hen is she? Can you post a picture? Are you able to weigh her? When you pick her up, can you feel her breastbone (keel bone)? She may not really be fat, depending on breed.
If she has a wound, that could be the cause of her slowing down. Can you post a picture of that, and the swelling?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

A picture would help. For now, limit her treat intake to 0 times a week. It’s okay to love and spoil your chickens, but not at the expense of the health of your beloved bird. Spoil her with love and let her just eat her feed.

 

[Beauty99]

Fatness can cause illness in chickens, other animals and people as well. If you love her, give her nothing but chicken feed.

Thanks so much

 

[Beauty99]

Does she get chicken feed? If so, does it make up 90% or greater of her food intake?

Does she get “treats”? If so, what treats and how much?

Does she have access to grit if she is getting food besides chicken feed?

Does she have any other chicken companions?

She eats chicken food everyday but only two times a week beside her chicken food i give har tomato, cucumber, garlic,rice, kind of vegetables ....
she doesn’t get any treatments
She is with three turkeys no other chickens