My 11 month old hen has been very sick off and on and I could really use some help.

[Kiki]

Read this:
http://articles.extension.org/pages/69065/feeding-chickens-for-egg-production

 

[DeLorean00]

So, you haven't been starving them of nutrition as we all first thought.
(Insert the sound of screeching brakes.)

Let's begin again.

We are dealing with a chronically sick hen. A upgrade in diet is a good start. Feeding a higher protein feed can't hurt. Also Poultry Nutri-drench will main-line some important nutrients into this hen's system.

Get that fecal float test done on samples from both hens ASAP. Have the lab look for all parasites, not just cocci. You may be dealing with other worms.

You haven't been hurting your hens with a bad diet. This hen may have a chronic infection. Let's rule out parasites first and go from there.

Let me clear things up. I had been feeding my girls start and grow from birth to about 6-7 months old. AART asked me what was the 'starter scratch', that is why I explaining it. This is probably why they had been going along just fine and all the sudden one bird started having issues. At one point the feed store told me to stop buying Purina Start and Grow and sold me Scratch Grains and told me it the was the substitute for adult birds. But clearly as stated here Scratch Grains do not have enough protein so I have been starving my girls (thankfully they have been getting lots of other treats). I believe this is very likely the case because when my hen has been sick I have fed her food high in protein and it has seemed to help her and she never had problems until I switched foods. Also, she just started molting so that on top of laying eggs and basically starving could be enough to push her over the edge.

So sadly I do believe I have been hurting my hens with a bad diet. I wish I had looked more into the food instead of taking the feed stores word, that is my fault. I now changed both hens diet and bought some Nutri-Drench.

 

[Kiki]

Forgot about the past...there is nothing you can do about what you feed them...just feed them good from now on and don't stress about the past.

 

[DeLorean00]

Forgot about the past...there is nothing you can do about what you feed them...just feed them good from now on and don't stress about the past.

Thank you! That made me feel better. I really cannot put into words how much these chickens mean to me. It is funny how people have no idea how smart and sweet chickens are. When you only have 2 and you have raised them by hand in your house they become part of the family, so I feel like a bad chicken parent. But this is why I came here, I knew I was missing something. I know without a doubt that the diet will improve their health so I am very lucky this forum took the time to help!

 

[andreanar]

Good luck with your girls! Youre on the right track now and that's all that matters. This site is an invaluable resource.