Lil'Bit is 17 months old, is the runt and is half blind. LF brahma.
She had to have one-on-one feedings when she was little and she put on weight, but has remained small in overall body size.
For awhile, she got very heavy even though she's small. Now she is starting to lose weight again. Her crop is full in the evenings, empty in the mornings.
The last couple evenings when I've gone out to the coop to do evening chores I've found her scratching thru the shavings on the floor around the feeder to eat the "powder" from feed being spilled and ground underfoot. I take her and put her in front of the feeder and she pecks a few times, but then goes back to eating off the floor. She's also started hanging out around the house more, always ready for a handout when I go out the door.
Tonight I brought her in and offered her a slice of bread, which she ate like she was starving.
Her stool tonight looked like that of a bird that is not getting enough to eat?
Should I try grinding up some of the layer pellets and offer her that? If the co-op has crumbles in smaller amounts than 50# bags, I'll buy her some; but I don't think they do.
Is it possible that she is not able to find grit on her own (while free-ranging) anymore and is resorting to eating only foods that don't need grinding?
I'm stumped!
Oh and she's molting.
She had to have one-on-one feedings when she was little and she put on weight, but has remained small in overall body size.
For awhile, she got very heavy even though she's small. Now she is starting to lose weight again. Her crop is full in the evenings, empty in the mornings.
The last couple evenings when I've gone out to the coop to do evening chores I've found her scratching thru the shavings on the floor around the feeder to eat the "powder" from feed being spilled and ground underfoot. I take her and put her in front of the feeder and she pecks a few times, but then goes back to eating off the floor. She's also started hanging out around the house more, always ready for a handout when I go out the door.
Tonight I brought her in and offered her a slice of bread, which she ate like she was starving.
Her stool tonight looked like that of a bird that is not getting enough to eat?
Should I try grinding up some of the layer pellets and offer her that? If the co-op has crumbles in smaller amounts than 50# bags, I'll buy her some; but I don't think they do.
Is it possible that she is not able to find grit on her own (while free-ranging) anymore and is resorting to eating only foods that don't need grinding?
I'm stumped!
Oh and she's molting.