no weight to my hen

[bandit1988]

i have 2 hens ones a white leghorn bantum and ones a rhode island red cros with light sussex i think there pretty much the same size but the white one has a massivly noticible weight difrfence the brown one iss very light altho we do feed them they get so much treats but theres never anything in her crop like shes being starved im thinking worms what do you guys think?

 

[seminolewind]

I would worm them if they haven't been wormed in 6 months and they are at least 6 months old. I would also take the food away overnight, give them food in the morning and sit and watch if the bigger one is preventing the other from getting near the food.

 

[crtrlovr]

could be worms; could also be mites / lice. Those buggers can literally suck the life right out of the chickens before you may even notice anything wrong.

 

[fiberart57]

What do you mean that they get "so much treats"? Chickens' main diet should consist of chicken feed, either layer or starter or, in many cases a good all around food like Flock Raiser. If she's getting too many non-nutritious treats, then she will be thin. Leghorns are thin birds to begin with and fairly high energy so she may never get "fat" but will stay rangy.

If you think she has worms you can worm her, but you could be sure by taking a fecal sample to a vet. Most vets, even if they don't treat birds, can check a fecal sample for parasites. I don't like to worm unless it's necessary.

Also check to make sure her poop is okay because that's a good indication about nutrition. There's a poop chart somewhere on the forum. She may need more grit if she's not out running around. I give mine access to grit even if they run around the yard.

My suggestion is to cut back on the treats - way back. A little scratch at night before bed to fill up the crops, some scrambled eggs or cooked grains once and awhile. Feed a good quality chicken food, either a layer mix or Flock Raiser and make sure that that's the majority of their intake and make sure they have access to plenty of fresh water.

Good luck,
Mary

 

[bandit1988]

im trying to keep her diet to the layers pellets but she doesnt seem interested in it the leghorns the fat one and the brown one is all energetic running around healthy feeding paturns just doesnt weigh anythign how do i go about worming her

 

[Judy]

When chickens don't want to eat regular feed like layer pellets, assuming the feed isn't too old or moldy or something, it's usually because they get too much other stuff, or they are finding a lot of bugs and such foraging. Like others said, I'd either severely cut down treats or even stop altogether for a while. In your situation I'd probably not do anything else for a month or two (except treat for lice/mites) and see if it makes a difference.

If you want to worm anyway, you could give Eprinex as this kills most types of worms as well as most lice/mites. Or Valbazen which is a good wormer if they've never been wormed as it won't kill too many at once ( some wormers can get them sick from too fast a kill) and dust with Sevin or pyrethring/permiethrins for the lice/mites. Here are links to some good info on all this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=472405

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5770173#p5770173

 

[bandit1988]

i live in the uk i might use a organic wormer

 

[tammye]

my hens are different sizes, two are huge and three are small, much lighter, but are healthy and good layers. they are just different, just like us humans, only true of course if all are in good health. I would try to observe them for awhile and see if the bigger ones are preventing the smaller ones from getting to the food. I set up two feed and water stations due to a big fat bully who tries to boss the smaller hens around and I make sure the smaller ones get their fair share of treats when given.

 

[tammye]

organic apple cider vinegar and chopped garlic in their water is supposed to help fight worms. I do not use a chemical wormers either, I check their poop each day-I know you can not see all worms!
If her crop is empty, just read that, sounds like either she is not eating or one of them is not letting her eat, like I said two feed staions or put the big one in another area for a while each day to let the other one eat.