is this normal ?

[chickchicks]

i have 3 babie chicks about 5/6 weeks and two adulty one is Wilma who raised them the other is Betty

Wilma has started to ease of the chicks and letting them be them selves BUT she has started to eat less and less
she pick at the food but does not eat much she maily chops up what ever is infront of ther and lets betty and thekids eat it instead .
i have noticed she is looking on the thin side,
i tried to move her away from the others for a treat of egg to boost her and she ignored it and left it for hte others to eat YET if there is corn around she eats it ( even if its not for her)

is she jsutbein a bid lax cause the kids are growing up or is she on the sick side?
besides the not eating much and feeling a little skinny she runs around and scratches

she does not have a dust bath and has not had one since the kids arrived ! and her feathers are looking a bit on the scruffy side ( i think moulting as betty has already started this)

is it all a bit much for wilma oris she just being lazy?

help would be great

thank you

 

[chicmom]

That's normal hen behavior when it comes to them mothering their chicks. They do get thin when they're broodies, but she should be putting some weight back on now that she is up and around with her chicks.

Chickens usually have their first full molt during their second autumn. So the feather thing could be normal, but look her over real good to see if she may have mites or lice.

Just keep a good eye on her. Chickens that "go light" sometimes need wormed too.

Hope this helps,
Sharon

 

[Sally Monella]

It can be normal for her to give up the food to the little ones but the weight loss after the babies have "weaned" should be monitored. I agree with chicmom that you should check for some other problem like parasites. Maybe try separating her and treating her to some special food. Mealworms are cheap at the pet store and no chicken can resist them. They are also full of protein and fat, a good way to get weight back on a thin chicken.

 

[Ksane]

When was the last time they were wormed with something other than Wazine?

 

[chickchicks]

for the help

the last worming was 1 month ago as i made sure all was done before the chicks came along.
she is about 3 years old and her sister betty has recently moulted and is nearly finished, i am worried as it seems to look like she is really stressed - i dont blame her as she is going through a lot at the moment and i am strugggling to gether to eat

i have tried egg mixed with corn and mealwoms she just sticks her beak in the air and gives you a stink eye to say forget it let them have the food !

i have cought her eating a little corn hopefully she is eating a little bit more when i am not looking

no external parasites that i can see of i gave her a good looking over through all her feathers and feet ect.
she is thin as i can see her breast bone sticking out a little when i move the feathers out the way. but she is still strong enough to give me a slap in the face with her feathers when shehas had enought !!!!

 

[galanie]

My broody does the same thing. She gets to looking pretty thin when the babies are around 7 weeks and she starts weaning them. But now that they are 11 weeks and have been on their own a few weeks, she's looking much better.

 

[chickchicks]

Quote:
thank you very much ill keep my hopes up then!

this is the first year for me to have chickens and babies !

so everything being new is a bit of a worrie

im glad its normal for her to act like the way she is illmake sure she is happy then with lots of treats

thank you all

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
I'm sorry to seem like I'm harping on this....but what exactly did you worm them WITH? I've seen more than a few people who kept insisting they'd "wormed" their birds and come to find out they only used Wazine, or DE or even cayenne pepper. So we need to make double sure that they were wormed with Valbazen or Fenbendazole. Otherwise, your problem is most certainly parasites.

 

[chickchicks]

Quote:
I'm sorry to seem like I'm harping on this....but what exactly did you worm them WITH? I've seen more than a few people who kept insisting they'd "wormed" their birds and come to find out they only used Wazine, or DE or even cayenne pepper. So we need to make double sure that they were wormed with Valbazen or Fenbendazole. Otherwise, your problem is most certainly parasites.

no thats fine i should havesaid .

i think its called Verm - x i was given it with the chickens - the lady who owned them before hand said this was what i needed to use.
this valaben or fenbendazole are they different from this Verm-x as every mag and artice i read its everywhere about his stuff.
and i am not sure about yours ( im still learning ) are they extra powerfull just for chickens? i have not seen them online or in my shops that are around me sadly .

your experience is greatly appreciated


AND ! i have seen her eat (a little bit) i gave her fravoirite meal, mixed rice veg and salad - she gets better fed than me

 

[luvmigrls]

Please forgive my inexperience on posting- I wasn't sure where to ask a question about eggs particularly. Since my hens have slowed down of there laying the past month I have noticed changes to some of the eggs. Can anyone give me some info as to why an egg appears to have a bump around it's circumference, some have what looks like little bits of shell pasted on the shell itself (it scratches off easily with fingernail) some have brown spots that can also be scratched off, and some are almost white instead of the usual brown. Can it be there diet. Could it be too much watermelon and cantaloupe during the hot weather?