please help feeding crisis!!

[Lovingherhens]

hey guys hope you can help. i have 5 chickens and had them since july time, we made them a lovely uber deluxe coop with lovely long grass which has now been eaten as you can imagine, also in the coop i had layers pellets and afternoon treats of corn, all going well lots of eggies yummy and they were growing nicely but now as its getting colder seems they are not eating much and feel very skinny!! i know they shudnt be plump but im just concerned that im not feeding them the right thing i dont like to think of them being hungry they get treats all the time of grapes, cauliflower the odd bit of bread etc which they love. would it be better to be putting them on layers mash and heated up slightly to get some fire in their bellies? any suggestions would be great as im guessing they should be eating more coming up to colder months? chicken wise i have 3 specklds and 2 west sussex if this helps cheers guys i know i can count on some great advice!!!

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[TheSpiceGirls]

How old are they? You say you've had them since July but if they were just born then, are they laying already? They shouldn't be on layer pellets until they are actually laying eggs.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Were they born this year? Check for mites, especially around vent and under wings. I'd stick to mostly layer, cut the scratch, some veggies are OK but the basis should be primarily layer if they're laying, grower if not.
Sometimes it's hard to know how much treats and scratch is displacing the balanced feed.

 

[Lovingherhens]

hi there yeah they have been laying since we got them in july and had oodles of lovely eggs they were prob around 20 weeks old when we got them does this help?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Does it seem like they are going through less feed? Mine are eating more now that it is getting colder. I agree with chickenCanoe over all. I don't think you need to change to heated mash.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If they were laying in summer they could be moulting. Are there lots of feathers around?
Mine look scrawnier when moulting.

 

[Eggcessive]

I've read on here that many chickens don't like pellet food. Mine eat crumbles and when there are powdery leftovers in the bottom of feeders I just put it in a bucket with a little water and stir. They will run over top of each other trying to eat thiese wet crumbles. You might try this and as everyone else says, give fewer treats and scratch--they need mostly chicken feed.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you feed a lot of treats, they will eat less of their good diet. Cut back on the treats, especially the low nutrition ones.

Check the feed carefully for any smell of mustiness and make sure that the feed in their feeder stays dry and clean.

 

[Lovingherhens]

ThNks everyone for ur advice most appreciated

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[ChickensAreSweet]

Loss of weight
not hungry

These signs could point towards worms. You can get a vet to do a fecal test for worms for a small fee or just worm them. Is there diarrhea? Are their combs pale? Has their laying rate decreased? Do you see any worms in the poo? Often you don't see worms in the poo.

It might be worth it to check for worms. Also as ChickenCanoe said, check for mites.

If you do treat for worms, toss the eggs for the specified time and give them some yogurt and scrambled eggs afterward to build them back up. It is very hard on them.