Lowest-ranked hen being starved

[DebinCR]

I have 9 free-ranging mixed-breed hens with a large rooster and a bantam cockerel, in a big tropical garden (500 square meters, fenced). My coop is 90s.f. Right now there's 8 chicks in 3 small clutches ( 7 weeks, 4 weeks and 2 weeks old ) and 3 hens on eggs due to hatch ( most will be given away at 3 months old). I feed from 4 feeders in the morning and 3 in the evening, plus some ripe banana mid-morning (which she loves) and cracked corn mid-day (which she's not so keen on). They can forage in the compost.
I discovered that the wildest, lowest-ranked hen is basically being starved by the other hens and big rooster. I barely saved her with a variety of local Costa Rican methods & medicines. However, she's extremely thin, and I'm concerned that she needs some special feeding. For the last 2 days I've been preparing cooked oats with chick starter and yogurt. I'd love some input on how to get some weight on her, without access to commercial US products. Here, she'd just end up as chicken broth, but I hope to have eggs from her. She's about 10 months old. Today I'm going to scramble an egg for her...All ideas from basic natural ingredients are appreciated!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Put more feeders out so that the more aggressive eaters can have their own and can guard another while she eats alone

 

[EddieSalita]

More info would help....... What are they eating in their 4 feeders that's not commercial feed, banana, corn and compost?

4 feeders for 9 hens in 500 sq m.... seems like they should be able to get a fair share. Is the line of sight between the feeders broken? Maybe there is another issue? If there is 4 feeders for 9 hens then I wonder why are they resource guarding so fiercely? Do the feeders always have food in them, if so what kind?

I'm also interested in the local methods and medicines. I'm always up for new knowledge and ideas.

 

[Perris]

she's extremely thin, and I'm concerned that she needs some special feeding. For the last 2 days I've been preparing cooked oats with chick starter and yogurt. I'd love some input on how to get some weight on her, without access to commercial US products. Here, she'd just end up as chicken broth, but I hope to have eggs from her. She's about 10 months old. Today I'm going to scramble an egg for her...All ideas from basic natural ingredients are appreciated!

to get some weight on her, give her as much meat, fish and/or insects as she'll eat, e.g. table scraps or tinned or fresh. Dairy and eggs, as you're already doing, are also great natural foods for her.

I too would be interested to hear about your local medicines and methods.

 

[LaFleche]

Deworming her might help.

And you could separate her in late afternoon with a hefty portion of high protein meal so she will be able to eat in peace. Scrambled eggs, millet, rolled oats with real butter, nuts, sunflower seeds, minced meat etc. will all help to put some weight on.

 

[NatJ]

she's extremely thin, and I'm concerned that she needs some special feeding. For the last 2 days I've been preparing cooked oats with chick starter and yogurt. I'd love some input on how to get some weight on her, without access to commercial US products.

From what you've said, it sounds like she may be fine if she just eats the usual food without being bullied, rather than needing anything special.

In the US, I would suggest dividing the pen so she has a private space, and letting her have as much chick starter as she wants. If there is no underlying health issue, she would eat her way back to health in a few weeks. If she didn't improve, it would be a sign that something else was wrong.

But since you are not in the US, I don't know how much your "chick starter" is like ours. Here, it is a complete food suitable for chicks, so they only need chick starter and a source of water. It is also fine for chickens of any other age as well (but laying hens also need a source of extra calcium, such as a dish of oyster shell.)

 

[DebinCR]

More info would help....... What are they eating in their 4 feeders that's not commercial feed, banana, corn and compost?

4 feeders for 9 hens in 500 sq m.... seems like they should be able to get a fair share. Is the line of sight between the feeders broken? Maybe there is another issue? If there is 4 feeders for 9 hens then I wonder why are they resource guarding so fiercely? Do the feeders always have food in them, if so what kind?

I'm also interested in the local methods and medicines. I'm always up for new knowledge and ideas.

Nothing goes in the feeders but commercial feed. The feeders are not always full - I feed at dawn, bananas at 8am (hugely popular!), corn at noon, lots of feed at 4pm. Plus they hit the compost and are busy scratching throughout the dense garden all day. I'll change line of sight, thank you! The feed is a local blend, and it's what's available. I hand-feed the banana & corn to keep them tame and manageable - she's a bit wilder because her mom was fiercely possessive & taught all her chicks to fear me; the last 2 I'm still working on. I'll be getting rid of this mom as soon as she's raised her last 2 chicks because of this. All the other birds are very healthy and active, & never seem hungry.
I saved the starving hen(so far) over the last 3 days. Started with an injection of Emicina at night for 2 days in case there was an underlying infection. In the morning I gave mixed dose of 2 Himalaya products, Digyton and Himpyrin. These 3 may be used in the US, but I haven't lived there in over 12 yrs. and don't know.
I've made her a mash with cooked oats, a bit of milk & yogurt. Also scrambled egg and a bit of liver. She's now beginning to eat cracked corn and the commercial feed, coming up to the house whenever she wants something.
I really thought she wouldn't make it - even went down with a plastic bag to remove her body from the coop. Her apparent recovery amazes me.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This is the thing about having proper feeders, you pay for them even if you don't have them because they prevent so much trouble and waste. Having feed available 24/7 keeps all of the birds well fed and allows a flock owner to have more flexibility as far as not having to be there to feed the birds. Hand feeding or putting our just enough causes a shortage mindset in the hens but if the pellets or crumbles are always there a lot less bullying happens.

Four feeders for that few hens shows that the number of feeders isn't the problem, a single feeder can handle a dozen hens quite easily other than a traffic jam first thing in the morning. And while multiple feeders are good to expand the number of days you can be gone on a trip you won't have hens guarding the feed if they are securing in knowing it will be there at all times. Line of sight is important if you have a lot of birds and just enough feeders and you will find that the number of hens per feeder goes up rapidly in large flocks where there is likely to be one feeder free at any given time. Then it becomes an issue of how much feed is available versus the maximum amount of time between refilling.

 

[DebinCR]

This is the thing about having proper feeders, you pay for them even if you don't have them because they prevent so much trouble and waste. Having feed available 24/7 keeps all of the birds well fed and allows a flock owner to have more flexibility as far as not having to be there to feed the birds. Hand feeding or putting our just enough causes a shortage mindset in the hens but if the pellets or crumbles are always there a lot less bullying happens.

Four feeders for that few hens shows that the number of feeders isn't the problem, a single feeder can handle a dozen hens quite easily other than a traffic jam first thing in the morning. And while multiple feeders are good to expand the number of days you can be gone on a trip you won't have hens guarding the feed if they are securing in knowing it will be there at all times. Line of sight is important if you have a lot of birds and just enough feeders and you will find that the number of hens per feeder goes up rapidly in large flocks where there is likely to be one feeder free at any given time. Then it becomes an issue of how much feed is available versus the maximum amount of time between refilling.

I'm thinking about getting the plastic rat-proof type that screw into a bucket. The problem is shipping and customs - a $27 purchase has $76 shipping and customs fees!! I have to find a service that will do it cheaper. I'm working on it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Keeping the feeders full and breaking the line of sight between them should help.

If there's no scarcity then the birds won't feel the need to guard their precious resources.