How do you know if your chicken is overweight?

[333113]

According to the American Poultry Association Standard for Buff Orpingtons (all standard non-bantam Orpingtons, actually), the standard weight for a hen is 8 pounds, for a pullet 7 pounds, for a cock 10 pounds, for a cockerel 8-1/2 pounds. Cockerels and pullets are 6-12 months, cocks and hens are adults older than one year.

That said, in my experience, show-quality Orpingtons are somewhat larger than the production types I have.

Either way, I agree with sekeyslaks, it sounds like your buffie is on the feathery side rather than fat.

 

[Dona Worry]

If you pick her up, you would likely be shocked by how light she is! My BO is as floofy as my Wyandottes, but much lighter.
There is a bone in there chest, no clue what it is called, that I use to assess condition. If I can easily feel the bone and is sticking out a little I am happy.
All my birds are a good weight except for one cockerel who is a little skinny.

 

[Animals45]

I believe that is how all buff orpingtons are.

 

[EggWalrus]

I'm curious about this topic too... How do you assess the proper conditioning and weight of a hen?

Pick them up and feel of them. There are several threads on here about how to tell if your birds are overweight. I remember that there should be a good amount of breast on each side of the keel bone as being normal but not so you can't feel the keel bone. Some of our Senior Chickenologists can probably find the articles I'm referring to. You definitely want to not have them so fat that it interferes with being healthy, but a skinny bird won't do you no good either.

 

[EggWalrus]

If you pick her up, you would likely be shocked by how light she is! My BO is as floofy as my Wyandottes, but much lighter.
There is a bone in there chest, no clue what it is called, that I use to assess condition. If I can easily feel the bone and is sticking out a little I am happy.
All my birds are a good weight except for one cockerel who is a little skinny.

Keel bone.

 

[MissChick@dee]

You can’t tell by looking at her. You need to feel her keel bone.

 

[EggWalrus]

You can’t tell by looking at her. You need to feel her keel bone.

That's right! You can't use your eyes.
You gotta get let your fingers do the walking, to find out what they're talking!

Anyone on here old enough to remember AT&T, or even IT&T (Intergalactic Tabacco & Trading Company).
Woo Hoo!

 

[MissChick@dee]

That's right! You can't use your eyes.
You gotta get let your fingers do the walking, to find out what they're talking!

Anyone on here old enough to remember AT&T, or even IT&T (Intergalactic Tabacco & Trading Company).
Woo Hoo!

I have the right to remain silent Tell me did you ever just let your fingers ride the the dial on the rotary??

 

[EggWalrus]

I have the right to remain silent Tell me did you ever just let your fingers ride the the dial on the rotary??

Oh hell yeah! That was part of the fun of freak dialing back then. Once you made a tone box you could dial anywhere worldwide for free. What got me in trouble and put on probation was reprogramming banks to put a penny from each transaction into a seperate acct. Got 10 years probation and wasnt allowed to have contact with any computer back then. Looking back now, those were the good old days!

 

[Naser]

Buff Orpingtons eat more and get bigger than many other breeds, that is normal