We were harvested some roosters today and also harvested some hens that seemed slow. We took it as an opportunity to see what was going on inside.
The first thing I noticed was a swollen abdomen. Once opened up, they were full of fat all over their organs. I am concluding fatty liver disease.
My dilemma is; they are free range and they are fed a whole grain feed I mix myself based on a recipe found here and further feed research. The corn, if I added it, was about 1/15 of the mix. I also added flock raiser pellets at the same ratio, as a safe guard that the correct balance of vitamins were also in there.
Is the cause as simple as these hens were pigging out on just the good stuff in the mix? If so, how do I stop this when they are eating whole grains? Is there something else I should be looking at? Is there something I can do to reverse it, as there are a couple more hens that have a swollen abdomen but to a much less degree?
Thank you so much for any help...my mind is whirling with this right now!
The first thing I noticed was a swollen abdomen. Once opened up, they were full of fat all over their organs. I am concluding fatty liver disease.
My dilemma is; they are free range and they are fed a whole grain feed I mix myself based on a recipe found here and further feed research. The corn, if I added it, was about 1/15 of the mix. I also added flock raiser pellets at the same ratio, as a safe guard that the correct balance of vitamins were also in there.
Is the cause as simple as these hens were pigging out on just the good stuff in the mix? If so, how do I stop this when they are eating whole grains? Is there something else I should be looking at? Is there something I can do to reverse it, as there are a couple more hens that have a swollen abdomen but to a much less degree?
Thank you so much for any help...my mind is whirling with this right now!
