My chickens are so skinny, what do I do?

[MGG]

Hi again everyone. I have 6 chicken hens, 1 guinea hen, and 2 roosters (they're separated). They have all been super thin for a long time now. I've tried everything I can think to fatten them up, I just am so lost now. My gander is nice and plump. We feed the hens Country Companion Layer Crumbles. They eat a lot, and they have good looking poops. They're pretty active too and seem otherwise healthy. They've been laying. Two hens are 2 years old, 2 hens are 1 year old, and the 2 pullets (not yet laying) are about 6 months old. We feed the roosters Purina Flock Raiser, which I also feed my gander as his sole feed source. They have free choice grit and free range for 45 minutes each day. I've tried soaking their feed, they eat it a lot, but it doesn't seem to matter. They are just so skinny, their keel bones stick way out, I can barely find any breast meat. Thanks in advance for any help guys.

 

[Kizmet]

Have they been dewormed?

 

[Acre4Me]

What breeds are they?

 

[MGG]

Have they been dewormed?

I wasn't sure if that was a possibility or not. I have some panacur horse wormer that I bought last month, but we have been eating the eggs and it would be kinda bad to have egg withdrawal time. I can't go out to get anything else either. Thanks for replying.

 

[MGG]

What breeds are they?

One is a Silver Laced Wyandotte (2 yrs) a Black Australorp (2 yrs), the roosters and other 2 hens are mix I hatched myself last year. One hen was a BA and Buff Brahma Bantam mix (somehow they bred and I didn't know it) the other hen was a SLW and a Golden Cuckoo Marans rooster, and the 2 roos I got from them were the GCM roo and a Black Jersey Giant hen. The 2 pullets are from Meyer Hatchery, they're about 7 months old. They are 1 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte and one Partridge Cochin. Thanks guys!

 

[DobieLover]

I wasn't sure if that was a possibility or not. I have some panacea horse wormer that I bought last month, but we have been eating the eggs and it would be kinda bad to have egg withdrawal time. I can't go out to get anything else either. Thanks for replying.

When you say their keels stick way out have you actually weighed any of them?
Layers don't have a lot of flesh over their keels. This is the body condition score for birds. IMO scoring closer to 2-3 is good for a layer.

Where do your birds score?
I keep a spreadsheet on my birds so I can record their weights and see if anyone is actually loosing body weight and condition. I suggest you gather more information.
If after that you find they are in fact too thin, you can collect a mixed fecal sample from the flock and submit it for a fecal float to see what internal parasites they may be carrying.

 

[MGG]

When you say their keels stick way out have you actually weighed any of them?
Layers don't have a lot of flesh over their keels. This is the body condition score for birds. IMO scoring closer to 2-3 is good for a layer.
View attachment 2066426
Where do your birds score?
I keep a spreadsheet on my birds so I can record their weights and see if anyone is actually loosing body weight and condition. I suggest you gather more information.
If after that you find they are in fact too thin, you can collect a mixed fecal sample from the flock and submit it for a fecal float to see what internal parasites they may be carrying.

They are definitely a 1, some of then feel even thinner than that.

 

[MGG]

I'll try to weigh some of them today.

 

[Breakfast for dinner]

Sorry to hear this. Just curious, do they eat any supplemental foods like yogurt, scratch or table scraps?

 

[RoosterML]

If it’s been two years and you haven’t wormed I would start with that. Unlike meatbirds chickens aren’t really “fat”.
Most just look big and fluffy but once plucked it’s nothing to write home about