Overweight Rhode Island Red

[BawkBawk123]

My 5 year old Rhode Island Red hen has gained a lot of weight. Over the years, she has always been hyper, friendly, and had a big appetite. We noticed that she has always been a bit bigger than the rest of our hens, but she never seemed like it bothered her. However, a couple of weeks ago we noticed she looked sluggish and walked slow. When picking her up, it was noticeable that she was much heavier than usual. She also had yellow droppings. After letting her sleep inside the house during the night and returning her back outside during the day for two days, the poop returned to normal and she perked up again. Although she wasn’t sluggish anymore, it still seemed like she was a bit slower than usual. Now recently, she had yellow droppings again. At this point I don’t think she will get better. I believe her weight is a factor in this problem. Is there a specific chicken feed that helps with weight loss? Or any ingredients or medicine that can also do the trick? In addition, what should I do about her yellow droppings?

 

[Aapomp831]

How much do you treat them? Stop
Feeding treats and give only chicken food - it’s unusual for a chicken to be overweight unless it’s being fed tons of fatty / carby treats. On the other hand, yellow poop can be a sign of liver disease - are you sure she’s overweight, or is she suffering from water belly (acites)....

 

[coach723]

At 5 years old a reproductive problem is also possible. Do you know when she last laid? Does her abdomen feel bloated, either very firm, or water balloon like, below the vent between the legs? How does her keel bone feel, well muscled, or is the bone very prominent? Often birds with reproductive problems will appear to be fat, when in reality they are losing body condition/muscle mass and the weight is from fluid or infectious material in the abdomen.

 

[Weeg]

At 5 years old a reproductive problem is also possible. Do you know when she last laid? Does her abdomen feel bloated, either very firm, or water balloon like, below the vent between the legs? How does her keel bone feel, well muscled, or is the bone very prominent? Often birds with reproductive problems will appear to be fat, when in reality they are losing body condition/muscle mass and the weight is from fluid or infectious material in the abdomen.

How much do you treat them? Stop
Feeding treats and give only chicken food - it’s unusual for a chicken to be overweight unless it’s being fed tons of fatty / carby treats. On the other hand, hello poop can be a sign of liver disease - are you sure she’s overweight, or is she suffering from water belly (acites)....

I agree with both of these posters. Chickens don't over eat unless they're a meat bird like a Cornish X. They only eat as much as they need, no more.
Feel her keel bone. Its the bone that gets down the middle of her body. Can you pinch it between two fingers? Or is there chub squishing up around it? If you can pinch it, she's not over weight. Though if you can't pinch it, I guess the added weight could be from treats or reproductive issues.

 

[BawkBawk123]

At 5 years old a reproductive problem is also possible. Do you know when she last laid? Does her abdomen feel bloated, either very firm, or water balloon like, below the vent between the legs? How does her keel bone feel, well muscled, or is the bone very prominent? Often birds with reproductive problems will appear to be fat, when in reality they are losing body condition/muscle mass and the weight is from fluid or infectious material in the abdomen.

I do not know when she has last laid, in fact I haven’t seen her in the egg laying spots for a while. However yes, I just checked her abdomen and it felt like how you described it, balloon like. Could you tell me how serious this is? Because she has been like this for a while, this is the 2nd time she has had yellow droppings. Should I take her to the vet as soon as possible?

 

[coach723]

You can take her to the vet, they may be able to give you more information on what is exactly going on. Reproductive problems are varied and symptoms can be very similar. It can be infection (salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis), internal laying, or a cancer. By the time they reach this point then they generally don't respond to treatment, it may buy them some time, but it just depends on the underlying cause. Generally, their time is limited. They are very good at hiding the illness and it's often not known until it's advanced. There are some things that can be done to make them more comfortable for a while, if it's fluid from ascites then that can sometimes be drained, but it's not without risk.

 

[Kiki]

I do not know when she has last laid, in fact I haven’t seen her in the egg laying spots for a while. However yes, I just checked her abdomen and it felt like how you described it, balloon like. Could you tell me how serious this is? Because she has been like this for a while, this is the 2nd time she has had yellow droppings. Should I take her to the vet as soon as possible?

Unfortunately a vet may not be able to help it may be too late already.
Once infection sets in, the yellow you are seeing, it's not a simple fix.

I highly recommend not feeding your birds any treats
A balanced complete diet of only commercially made age appropriate crumbled or pelleted feed is best.
Overweight hens are much more likely to get serious deadly infections.