Hi, My name is Tina. My husband and myself are first time chicken owners and are in need of some help. We have an 11 month old Ameraucana and an 11 month old Cream Legbar. We've had them for about 5 weeks now and they both have lost about a pound each. They look and act like healthy hens. They free range in a grassy area for a few hours a day. They are active and each lay one egg a day. They eat regularly a diet of Naturally soy and corn free layer feed. When they kept losing weight the feed store suggested Ace Hi Feeds Quick-Gro Kracketts. We now mix the two and feed them a bit of mealworms and veggie scraps. Their feces have no visible worms and it looks normal form what we've seen on the internet. The person that we got them from said she de-wormed them but we do not know how long ago. We have treated them with DE for mites and have given them an electrolyte supplement in their water supply. They share a coop that is about 26 square feet and 3 ft. high that's open on all but half of the back. We've tried to feed them rice, bread and pumpkin seeds but they showed no intersest. They have gotten so thin that they virtually have no meat on their breast and feel bony. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Hi Tina! I would examine them for mites and go ahead and worm them again. You could also post on the emergencies forum and see if others can give you additional ideas of what might be going on with them. Good luck!
Hi Tina and welcome to BYC - glad that you have joined us. NFC has given you some great advice, so i will just say hello and wish you the best of luck. CT
I would look for other causes of their weight loss. Maybe their feed doesn't agree with them. Could you have one of the skinniest ones taken to a vet to find out if something else is causing the weight loss. Did the first worming - result in a lot of worms being passed? Maybe they aren't being wormed for the type they actually have. A good reason to have a poo sample checked by a vet.
