Help! Hens are all losing weight...

[kathrynleigh37]

I have 3 hens (a Barred Plymouth, Gold Sex Link and Welsummer) who are 8 months old... We recently lost their sister (not sure why exactly.. we thought it was related to an impacted crop but we got desperate and brought her to a vet and they suggested it might have been something more chronic because it seemed like she'd lost a lot of weight and we just hadn't noticed because she still looked big with all her feathers).

But now we're super worried about our other 3 girls... I was feeling them today and they do feel thinner than they have in the past... You can really feel their breast bones and they don't feel quite as heavy (We did weigh them today and they're all 5 pounds).

I've looked for worms but can't see anything (although I do know you can't always see them in their poo). Anyway, we went ahead and mixed in diatomaceous earth with their feed since a lot of other posts recommended that and figured it would be good to do anyway.

A friend suggested that it may have something to do with the feed we're giving them, but honestly I don't know.We switched them onto Scratch and Peck layer feed (link below) a month or two ago, and had been feeding them Bar Ale layer feed before that, but switched on the recommendation of someone else.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P2GLJGD/?tag=backy-20

At this point we're desperate.. I don't really know what to think. Any advice would be so, so appreciated.

P.S. - Not sure if this is related it all, but our Welsummer has been downright mean lately. Not to the other girls, but to us. She's always been a little more of a loner and didn't want to hang out with us as much as the others did, but lately she's started pecking at us and chasing/attacking us in the yard.. I don't know if this could be related to something else that's making them not feel good or if this is just her personality but it doesn't seem normal...

 

[micstrachan]

You don’t necessarily see worms. Can you take a sample to a vet for a fecal float?

 

[slordaz]

The vet can do a fecal float test on a fresh sample and tell you, I would go ahead and start worming the girls anyway , with either Valbazen or safe guard goat wormer. This sounds like a sever worm overload.

 

[kathrynleigh37]

I'm definitely going to take a sample to the vet this week...

 

[slordaz]

I'm definitely going to take a sample to the vet this week...

Start de worming ASAP as worms can kill them and if they are already loosing weight they are in trouble.

 

[kathrynleigh37]

Would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHLVB8/?tag=backy-20

I've been trying to go to my local feed store but they've been closed without notice all week and I don't want to wait. Thanks so much.

 

[slordaz]

Would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHLVB8/?tag=backy-20

I've been trying to go to my local feed store but they've been closed without notice all week and I don't want to wait. Thanks so much.

yep that would work, and it isn't usually with chicken stuff in my local feed store but where the cattle meds are.

Sometimes as you have working relationship with the vet he will also just dispense the valbazen, due to your choice I am tagging others as don't remember the safe guard dosage
@Eggcessive
I think I ordered a lifetime supply of it for my Chickens lol got 500ml of it
I ordered the Valbazen from https://www.allivet.com/p-2170-valbazen.aspx?SearchTerm=valbazen+Auto

 

[kathrynleigh37]

Thank you so much!! I'm happy to use Valbazen also I just couldn't find it... Although I'll probably stick with the SafeGuard since it will get here quicker.

I'll keep an eye out for dosage... But also HOW do you administer it to them? I suppose that's just as important lol

 

[Wyorp Rock]

8 months

We recently lost their sister (not sure why exactly.. we thought it was related to an impacted crop but we got desperate and brought her to a vet and they suggested it might have been something more chronic because it seemed like she'd lost a lot of weight and we just hadn't noticed because she still looked big with all her feathers)

ou can really feel their breast bones and they don't feel quite as heavy (We did weigh them today and they're all 5 pounds).

I've looked for worms but can't see anything

Do your pullets show any symptoms of not feeling well or are you just concerned that they feel "thin"?
You weighed them today, so have a baseline to go by. Weigh them once a week to see if they are staying to same or losing weight.

Even large fowl that you have, should not feel "fatty" they should be on the leaner side. Excess fat in laying hens makes it harder for them to lay eggs, they can be more prone to prolapse, Fatty Liver disease and other health issues. Take some time to look at the body score and see where they land in the categories.

Collecting some poop samples and having them checked would be a good idea - this way you know if they have worms and what type so you can treat them correctly.

 

[kathrynleigh37]

Thank you so much, that's really helpful! They've usually had a nice amount of muscle (around a 3), but all of a sudden they're much thinner... I'd say somewhere between a 1 and 2.