My chickens are skinny.

[Don Jr]

They eat plenty, but they are lean. They look great, but would it hurt if they had a little fat on them? And how would you fatting them up?

 

[Namble]

Same here. Mine have unlimited food but skinny.

 

[Luna_Chick66]

My silkies are bony. I was wondering if that was normal.

 

[LynneP]

No sign of worms?

Your birds will need about 3 times the amount of feed in winter and fat can be added by feeding things like wild bird suet, scratch corn and by adding some high-calorie treats, being sure that they have free access to grit and oyster shell.

 

[Megs]

i to think that my younger birds (4-6 months) are unusually skinny, but they eat what they want and have full crops when i check them after feedings.

how can you check for worms in chickens? anything besides taking a fecal sample to the vet (and do regular vets generally check chicken fecal samples? there are no chicken vets in my area).

i called the 2 local stores that would carry wormers and they only carry wormers that do roundworms and are put in the water.

 

[LynneP]

You would notice adult worms in the droppings. If you have access to a microscope some coop droppings can be mixed with water and examined for eggs. Most tack and feed stores carry piprazine, which is mixed at different dosages depending on the species involved. Ivermectin for horses can be diluted for birds, too. Could order on line, of course. It might be that your birds are at a lean stage as some are when young, getting lots of exercise.

 

[digitS']

4 to 6 months?

I'm curious about the ages of the skinny chickens and what they are eating.

Steve

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Ya know, in comparison to supermarket chickens, mine are skinny, too. But silkies, Polish, EE's and such weren't bred to be food for humans, so it stands to reason they may not be as plump or muscular as those breeds that ARE used for food. As long as my chickens aren't sickly (yes they've been wormed), and have SOME meat on their bones, I'm not worried. I just make sure they never run out of crumbled or pelleted feed and fresh clean water, I supply fresh scraps as often as possible, and I give them scratch grains w/wild bird food in the winter as a treat. Someone told me that suet is good in the winter as well, so I guess I'll try that once it gets cold here.

I worm in the spring and again in the fall, regardless of whether my birds have worms or not. I am fortunate to be able to run my own fecals, but if I couldn't, I guess I'd be running off to the vet, as sometimes worms can only be detected under a microscope - and just because you don't SEE them, doesn't mean they're not there! In fact, its my understanding that unless they are absolutely LOADED with worms, you won't see them at all! Plus, it helps to know what TYPE of worms they have so that you can use the proper type of wormer that is effective on them.

Oh, and any vet can run a fecal test, whether they work on chickens or not - they don't need to see the animal, just the sample. Poop is poop, regardless of the species it came from, and worms that chickens get are the same type that dogs and other animals get.

 

[Don Jr]

Thanks alot, i need all the info i can get.

 

[Luna_Chick66]

Quote:
This is good to know because I was wondering if they could eat that stuff.

I did put a wild birdseed block out for them and they stayed away from it for a whole day.......... I think they were, well...... chicken to try it!