Help! Obese chickens!

[Urchickchic]

Lost an eight month old Barred Rock X RIR hen who started laying at five months, had a necropsy and it was determined that she died from a hemmoraghic fatty liver. I have three remaining birds. They are:

15 mo old Rhode Island Red
15 mo Easter Egger
8 mo Barred Rock x Easter Egger (baby of Easter Egger)

The RIR and EE are not big girls. They may be 3-4 lbs each. The other two were daughters of the others and weigh about 5 lbs each

I don't want to lose my others. I feed a 17% layer feed from Healthy Harvest. They had free choice of it. I don't feed scratch, corn, or scraps. They do get occasionally apples. I do give them mealworms occasionally, but no more than a few tablespoons per week. They have a TSC Producers Pride coop and run so they have lots of space. They free range a few hours a day.

Please share any recommendations on how I can get the younger one to lose weight and what and how to feed.

Thanks!

 

[Flamens Farm]

Hmmm, did they say it was from being overweight? I feed my adults 20% layer pellets and 16% gamebird feed and have for 5 years and never had an overweight chicken. My chicks get 20% started/grower crumbles and never had a problem with them either. I only free range mine a couple days a week when I am in the yard with them, too many predators to allow it otherwise. I would check your feed for crude fat content and if it contains any animal fats or animal protein products. I don't feed any of mine that contains those two items. Not saying that is the problem but a starting place. There are many others here that know a lot more about this than I do. I am only telling you what I do and don't do.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Perhaps like people, some are just prone to getting big and obese....... maybe genetics?

 

[beans2]

don't feed them anything sugary (like apples). simple sugars upset any animal's hormonal balance and that can cause them to put on excess fat. esp around the liver.

you see this is most livestock - they can eat pure fat for years and be fine, then you give them molasses and they store fat around the liver within months.

check if you chooks get enough omega 3 fats.
omega 3s are used to produce transport molecules that help the body to deal with other fats.

feed them vegetables and leafy greens (esp dandelion leaves which stimulate the liver) - animals can use plant hormones really easily and often obesity is a hormonal problem. (hence the fact it can become genetic - the first hormones we are exposed to are our mothers)

sorry for the long answer - hope it helps

 

[Urchickchic]

don't feed them anything sugary (like apples). simple sugars upset any animal's hormonal balance and that can cause them to put on excess fat. esp around the liver.

you see this is most livestock - they can eat pure fat for years and be fine, then you give them molasses and they store fat around the liver within months.

check if you chooks get enough omega 3 fats.
omega 3s are used to produce transport molecules that help the body to deal with other fats.

feed them vegetables and leafy greens (esp dandelion leaves which stimulate the liver) - animals can use plant hormones really easily and often obesity is a hormonal problem. (hence the fact it can become genetic - the first hormones we are exposed to are our mothers)

sorry for the long answer - hope it helps [/QU

Thank you!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I would check your feed for crude fat content and if it contains any animal fats or animal protein products.

I just checked the feed ingredients and analysis, at Tractor Supply Co, website. ,

. I don't see any animal products or animal fats. Its got the lowest fat % I've seen in a layers feed. GC

 

[Folly's place]

Animal fats, or any reasonable fat %, isn't the issue. I've never fed that product, but it looks reasonable. I do feed Flock Raiser, with oyster shell on the side, and like that better than any of the layer feeds.
Your management looks fine, so genetics? On necropsy, was she in lay, or had she stopped? Have you discussed this with your poultry pathologist, or the university expert?
So sorry, sometimes bad things just happen.
Mary

 

[beans2]

I just checked the feed ingredients and analysis, at Tractor Supply Co, website. View attachment 1433105 ,View attachment 1433107 . I don't see any animal products or animal fats. Its got the lowest fat % I've seen in a layers feed. GC

corn is almost entirely omega 6 - that's probably your problem.
corn should only ever be an end of day treat in winter.

soybean has been found to be questionable in relation to human health too.

The brand i give mine as supplemental feed is Allen&Page but i don't think they sell that in the US.
here's the ingredients list as a guide for what to look for:
Wheat, Wheat Feed, Beans, Calcium Carbonate, Linseed, Maize Gluten, Maize, Grass Meal, Di-calcium Phosphate, Salt, Seaweed, Marigold flowers, Yeast. Vitamins: E672 Vitamin A: 6.0 k iu (as retinyl acetate); E671 Vitamin D3: 3.0 k iu (as cholecalciferol); E3a700 Vitamin E: 20.0 mg (as all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) Trace elements: 33 mg Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate (E1-Iron); 28 mg Zinc Oxide (E6-Zinc); 64 mg Manganous Oxide (E5-Manganese); 2.25 mg Calcium Iodate Anhydrous (E2-Iodine); 0.33mg Sodium Selenite (E8-Selenium)

 

[beans2]

[QUOTE=" Its got the lowest fat % I've seen in a layers feed. GC[/QUOTE]

To reiterate - the amount of fat is irrelevant. you can feed an extremely high fat diet if the fat is good quality because an animal can dispose of excess 'good' fats easily.

it's also not the case that animal fats are bad or vegetable fats are good. lots of vegetable fats are 'bad' fats.
The BEST fats are from wild ocean fish (although that's changing because we've polluted ocean ecosystems with omega 6 fats, chemical pollutants and nuclear radiation for such a long time)
Fats are quite complicated and nuanced.
eating green plants (which contain plant hormones the chickens can use) is as important to fat management in any animal as the amount or quality of fat eaten.

A general guide:

'good' foods - oats, barley, wheat, cooked beans, garlic, linseed, leafy greens (grass, dandelion, Brussels sprouts, carrot tops, chicory, collard greens, endive, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard)

'bad' foods: rye, corn, uncooked beans or lentils (all legumes), green potatoes or tomatoes, avacado skin or pits, chocolate, tea (and other obvious stuff.), too much salt, any refined or processed sugar.

you can feed half a handful of corn, per chicken, in the evening, during winter (when its cold)

 

[Folly's place]

There's nothing 'bad' about using corn, soy, or whatever in balanced poultry diets!!! And fats are necessary for life, and included in diets for that reason.
Some people are allergic to corn, or wheat gluten, or soy, and try to get poultry feeds without, which makes sense. Inhaling the dust from the feed, and getting it everywhere when in the coop, can't be good if there's a sensitivity.
Someone allergic to wheat wouldn't like Allen&Page either. And maize is corn!
Mary