HELP! Super Thin Hen...

[rabbott]

i have a hen (2yrs leg horn) that i just noticed last nite how thin she has gotten... she has always been very unfriendly / skittish... last nite at lock down i took my head count and found her in a nesting box rather than her normal high perch spot... picked her up and was shocked to find her nothing but bones!! her crop was very full of grainy feeling food... was to dark to do anything else... tried to reserch stuff last nite...

this am she seemed quiet but i got her into the isolation pen and geve her water scratch / crummbles / fresh fruit & salad.... did see her eat up the veggies, but she just seems lost... when i came back about hour later, looked like there was a big poop. looked like a cow patty....

could she be egg bound?? impacted?? any thoughts very much appreciated.... oh yeah, we a are leaving tomorrow for 4 days!! need some direction for house sitter...

 

[dawg53]

You might want to inspect her for lice/mites. She may need worming.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Make sure you are comparing her weight to her previous weight and not to the weight of other breeds of birds as leghorns are naturally thin, boney birds. (just wanted to make sure because I have seen other people very concerned about thin leghorn and turns out they were comparing their bodies to other breeds with rounder more standard chicken bodies)

My initial thoughts are impacted crop or worms. Has she ever been wormed? Worms can cause a bird to lose weight and go down hill really fast. Mine stopped walking altogether. And, as stated above lice and mites can also cause weight loss. How does her comb look?

A grainy feeling crop is good and full at bedtime is normal.

I would isolate the bird in a controlled environment so that you can better monitor and assess. If you think her crop might be impacted then either feel her crop first thing in the morning after she has had NOTHING to eat all night and see if it is empty. Or, with-hold food today and give only water and after a full day of no food check her crop and see if it is empty. If it is not then there is a problem, if it is empty then you can rule on impacted crop.

Take a really good look at her poop. Look for worms (however, keep in mind that she could have them in her even if you dont see anything). Also if she is pooping normally it is less likely that her crop is impacted.

If she does have worms you will need to deworm everyone. They will all have it. Same with lice and mites.

 

[rabbott]

thank you!! very helpful... hard to compare her weight since i have never been able to handle her since she was a peep! i have 3 and they are hard to tell apart... but i'm pretty sure they just got thru a molt... feathers all look nice right now....

since i have already fed her for the day,and didnt think to check her crop first thing this am, i'll have to do that tomorrow am... will chickens eat their poop??

have never wormed chickens before... makes sense, just never have had to... how in the world do you do that? and i saw other feeds about ivermectin? same as horses? or is there actual chicken wormer? will it be ok to just give everyone a precautionary round? and should this be done on a reg basis like horses??

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have heard people say that they will eat poop but I have never seen it happen. (Dogs will eat their own poop if they are nutrient deficient - but I have yet to run into this issue with birds so I am not sure)

Here is a good thread on deworming, scroll down the page a little and there is any excellent post by Chris09 on what to look for and possible treatments and preventative measures. A personally use the AVC for regular prevention.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/502160/deworming

Leghorns are thin. They are bred solely for egg laying and not for consumption. This is not the best picture in the world but this is my 2 years + leghorn. She has a very thin more bird-like narrow body. If you look at the Delaware and Maran in the background you can kind of tell that they are much rounder with very different more fat looking bodies. Feeling a center bone that runs down her chest is normal.

If you want to compare the feel of the three leghorns bodies to see if one is wasting compared to the others and they are too hard to catch you can wait for them to fall asleep - they will be much easier to handle.

 

[rabbott]

thanks again! i'll check out the link
ok my bird looks nothing like yours!! i thought she was a leg horn, mine is partridge in color with white ears, fold over comb.... btw her comb is not very red.
i get the difference in types, and i will def compare to the siblings tonite...
about the worming is this something that should be done right away? or can it wait until we get back from out of town, sunday?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Well, that is a white hatchery leghorn. I also have a brown leghorn who has a fold over comb. Their body types are similar though.

I am not sure about timing on the worming.

 

[rabbott]

thnak you again for your help... i've kept her isolated today and in a cage tonite will see how her crop is in am... still very full this pm...the worming will have to wait till after trip will keep her seperate till we get back... hope she makes it!!