Hen with swollen belly, no eggs, little poo. Any hope?

[Magical Garden Girl]

I do not think this girls problem is worms but I think everyone should have their flock's poop tested at least once a year..if not twice.
Usually you will never see worms.

You can collect some fresh poop...from a few random birds and put it in the same container and run it to the nearest vet and have it tested for very cheap.

I really think she is laying internally and I'm not sure there is anything that can be done to prevent it...sometimes it just happens.

Food sounds good.
Too much treats really isn't good for them, I think your "amounts" are fine.
Read these when you have time:
http://articles.extension.org/pages/69065/feeding-chickens-for-egg-production
and I really like this thread because the Op thought she was feeding an ok amount of treats but notice what the vet suggested
#1

Thank you kikis girl for your reply and links - especially the link on what to feed a chicken.

I have seen the terms "laying mash" and "scratch" used a lot And wanted to know if this is a regional term?

( for reference I have three chickens - a layer and two pullets I obtained about two mos ago)

I was given a huge bag of something called "crumble" from the previous owner. It was infested with some sort of bug so I had to waste it and go back to the feedstore - they had two or three different types of "crumble" and I picked the type for egg layers

Question: Is this the same as laying mash? If not - what the heck is laying mash

I mix my own grains that are non gmo and keep the corn at a lower percent with a focus on higher protein (wheat, whole oats, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, flax seed) I add a small amount of DME to prevent moisture along with dried kelp and brewers yeast flavored with garlic for protein and oyster shell.

The chickens did not come with any pellet type foods or any other food stuff. Therefore they were not fed that way previous to me obtaining them. So I purchased a brand that was soyfree and non gmo. The chickens wouldn't touch it so I have been slowly mixing it in the bowl of goodies I prepare daily
(Consists of the crumble, some form of fruit or veggie, the grains I mix up above and the pellets)

Question: Is the grain mix I'm making considered "scratch"?
If not, what is scratch?

FYI
On the mealy worms - these guys were fed it daily as a treat before I came along so I purchased some with shrimp in it (higher protein) and they only get a pinch over the bowl I make. Once the bag is gone I won't be feeding them the dried mealy mix. Instead I'm segue to black soldier fly grubs which have calcium and a little more protein and I give a pinch to the layer when I collect her egg.
Mealy worms are very popular in the feedstores around here in California and I'm sure the idea sounds foreign to true farmers haha

Thanks ahead of time

 

[Kiki]

Most complete feed come in two forms...crumble (broken up pieces) and pellets.

I think laying mash might mean the crumbles soaked in water?
I really have no idea.

Think of scratch as junk food or candy... I don't even buy it.

I'll take a guess and say yes the grains you mix up are probably close to scratch.
I am not a fan of corn...so your scratch may be a little bit better than the store bought scratch, which usually has a lot of corn in it.

 

[Magical Garden Girl]

Most complete feed come in two forms...crumble (broken up pieces) and pellets.

I think laying mash might mean the crumbles soaked in water?
I really have no idea.

Think of scratch as junk food or candy... I don't even buy it.

I'll take a guess and say yes the grains you mix up are probably close to scratch.
I am not a fan of corn...so your scratch may be a little bit better than the store bought scratch, which usually has a lot of corn in it.

Haha - I have the same idea about corn too and am only giving small amounts and phasing them out until I can get them to eat the healthier stuff. The pellets are green in color and seem to advertise as a complete system but they won't touch it - perhaps I need to crush the pellets? Who knows

The crumble is Buff in color and has no ingredients listed and was pretty much the main staple before I got them

I will post pictures so no confusion just in case bc they look like two totally different ideas




Thank you!

 

[BantyChooks]

I think layer mash is a powder rather than a crumble.

It's awful if you have ducks.