I feed my chickens until they are full but they are still under weight

[cheyfrie]

I feed my chickens until they are full but they are still under weight. Ok I ordered some chicks off the internet. I feed them about twice a day. I give them a big tub of water also. They are in the same pin as the ducks and they love it. Occasionally they will fly out but not all of the time. At night I go get them and put them in the rabbit cage. I can feel their craw (is that what its called) and its full and feels like it will bust. They are also black Sumatra's. My Turkens are the same age as the Sumatra's but they are about two times bigger. I got them around Easter. But is there something I can do to help them get bigger? I also feed them scratch grain and they do have a big pen (although the grass is wore down). The first two months they ate nothing but chick starter and they got to play FREE RANGE out side.

 

[acissej]

You should leave food down for them all the time rather than feed them twice per day.

 

[blake101]

Give them a unlimited supply of food and water....24/7

 

[Tiramisu]

As the person said above, they should have food available most the time. I feed mine several times a day and they free-range. They will not over eat, they will eat til they are full and stop and it is very unlikely their crop will burst, if it did something else was wrong.

And its a Crop not craw

 

[Beekissed]

You didn't mention how old these chickens are. Young chickens all seem a little gangly and rangey but they soon fill out. As long as they have adequate food and water and are not parasite ridden they should grow at their own rate.

I feed young chicks free choice until they join the flock and then all birds get fed once daily. The rest of the day is spent foraging. If yours live in a pen, its probably a good idea to feed free choice.