Serious ? Concerning my Chicken's

[1rooroo4u]

My young birds are 4 months old and are the same size as my 3 year old birds.

Problem is, my young birds barely weigh a pound, while my older birds average around 4-5 pounds, some heavier.

When I put my young birds up just before dark, I pick them up, pet them, talk to them and set them in their house for the night.

While I am hold them, I notice that most of them have little to no food in them, and despite their beautiful feathers and combs, they are skin and bones.

Is this something that they will grow out of, or do I have a serious problem here?

I feed all of my birds a high protein feed, give them treats like cracked corn, millett and such, and let them free range for the last 3-4 hours at the end of each day.

They ALWAYS have fresh water!

So.... How do I put a little weight on my young birds, and what do I need to do that I may not be doing??

I have chickens that are 8-10 years old, and they are still beautiful and healthy...

Thank you for your time.

 

[nuthatched]

Have you tried multiple feeders to make sure they can't be chased off the food?

 

[-Chanticleer-]

My young birds are 4 months old and are the same size as my 3 year old birds.

Problem is, my young birds barely weigh a pound, while my older birds average around 4-5 pounds, some heavier.

When I put my young birds up just before dark, I pick them up, pet them, talk to them and set them in their house for the night.

While I am hold them, I notice that most of them have little to no food in them, and despite their beautiful feathers and combs, they are skin and bones.

Is this something that they will grow out of, or do I have a serious problem here?

I feed all of my birds a high protein feed, give them treats like cracked corn, millett and such, and let them free range for the last 3-4 hours at the end of each day.

They ALWAYS have fresh water!

So.... How do I put a little weight on my young birds, and what do I need to do that I may not be doing??

I have chickens that are 8-10 years old, and they are still beautiful and healthy...

Thank you for your time.

My older pullets 23 weeks old chase the younger ones off 13week olds from the feeder. Now the young ones won’t go near it unless it’s early in the morning before the other three older ones come out. So I put out another feeder and they do just fine. Maybe the same thing is happening and you haven’t caught it?

 

[1rooroo4u]

Have you tried multiple feeders to make sure they can't be chased off the food?

Yes, I have 3 feeders out for them.

 

[1rooroo4u]

My older pullets 23 weeks old chase the younger ones off 13week olds from the feeder. Now the young ones won’t go near it unless it’s early in the morning before the other three older ones come out. So I put out another feeder and they do just fine. Maybe the same thing is happening and you haven’t caught it?

I feed the young birds and the old birds separately, trying to keep the young birds from being scared and stressed...

 

[1rooroo4u]

I read on a couple of other posts, that they feed their birds in the morning and then again in the evening.

I have been keeping feed out for my birds all day, but today, I pulled the feeders in around noon, then put them out again an hour before dark. And for the first time in a couple of months, my young birds were full!

So, I am going to feed the birds in the morning until they get full, then pull the food until right about sunset when the sun is not beaming down so hot. I'm going to try this until this weekend, and see if my young birds put on a little bit of weight...

I'll do a post on Sunday and let you guys know how this works out.

I really appreciate all the help I have gotten over here. Thanks guys, and gals.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Are all the birds the same breeds, both young and old?

 

[1rooroo4u]

Are all the birds the same breeds, both young and old?

8 different breeds between both the young and old.

The last set of 16 birds consists of 5 different breeds, and they all stay together...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

8 different breeds between both the young and old.

The last set of 16 birds consists of 5 different breeds, and they all stay together...

And although they are different breeds, they are all under weight? You say you have three feeders. Are they out of eyeshot of each other? What I mean is, if a chicken is eating at one feeder, can it see the other two feeders? Your best bet is to arrange the feeders so they are not visible to each other. That way if the older birds csn't see the young ones eating, they can't chase them away and keep them from eating. Which it sounds like that is what's happening.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My young birds are 4 months old and are the same size as my 3 year old birds.

Problem is, my young birds barely weigh a pound, while my older birds average around 4-5 pounds, some heavier.

When I put my young birds up just before dark, I pick them up, pet them, talk to them and set them in their house for the night.

While I am hold them, I notice that most of them have little to no food in them, and despite their beautiful feathers and combs, they are skin and bones.

Is this something that they will grow out of, or do I have a serious problem here?

I feed all of my birds a high protein feed, give them treats like cracked corn, millett and such, and let them free range for the last 3-4 hours at the end of each day.

They ALWAYS have fresh water!

So.... How do I put a little weight on my young birds, and what do I need to do that I may not be doing??

I have chickens that are 8-10 years old, and they are still beautiful and healthy...

Thank you for your time.

Photos of the birds?

You feed high protein feed- what exactly is it? Brand and name?