Is my hen malnourished?

[Primrose135]

I have five hens and one of mine seems to have recently become much smaller. Her crop always seems to be nearly empty and I don't see her in the yard eating much. When I offer her food individually, she eats like she hasn't eaten all day even though there is always food out and they are free range. How do I get her to eat more?

All of the hens are about a year and a half. She has not been laying for over two months and about a month ago had a respiratory infection. She is also bullied by two of the other hens.

 

[Naunnie]

First....welcome to BYC. I would isolate her until you can figure out what is wrong. It would help to know what her poops look like too. Have they been dewormed? I f you can catch her, open her mouth and look to see if there are any abnormal growths. If you do see any....she could have Canker. A search on here will lead to more information on how to treat it.

If she is not sick and just bullied, you might need to put out several other feeders.

Hopefully others will chime in soon, but any and all information you can add will help others be able to help you. What do they eat? How are they housed? How did you treat her respiratory problem? Do they have access to oyster shell/grit?

I would recommend adding some poultry vitamins to her water as well.