Silkie Hen Vent Blow Out - Prevention - how to prevent long term - Diet? Advice needed?

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Scratch for chickens is like candy for kids. They can have some, but in moderation. I only use it to teach my chickens to come when called.

Layer feed is fairly low in protein, about 16%, and it containes added calcium, which any non-laying chicken does not need. It can actually be harmful over the long term for non-layers. I prefer to feed a higher percentage of all-flock feed with little to no calcium, and provide calcium for the layers in the form of oyster shell in a separate vessel. Those that need it will help themselves while those that don't will ignore it.

I am not sure if any of this will help prevent prolapsed vents in your silkies. Are they all out of the same genetic lines? Perhaps they are just prone to it. I don't have silkies but in 15 years of keeping chickens I have only seen one prolapse. I don't know if there is anything you are doing to cause it, or what you might do to prevent it. But when you see one happening, you could come on here and ask for help. Some have had success repairing them and saving their hens. I wish you all the best.

Thank you so much, with the hen 5 years ago I tried repairing her myself and with gentle vent manipulation. It actually worked, but like all chicken stories often, it didnt last once she had the prolapse she was prone again and thats why i hope to prevent. I will investigate what you have said about layer feed - thank you!!

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Sorry you lost your birds.
Too much treats such as scratch can cause laying issues. They're mainly fat and carbs, chicken don't retain fat on the outside like we do, it build internally, around the the organs. Making life in general harder and usual shorter but it definitely makes laying harder.
Unfortunately, egg size and frequency is genetics, there's nothing you can do to change it.
Where did you get your birds?
Taking them off layer pellets is not going to do them favors long term, they need that calcium in it to help contractions. Layer feed doesn't cause laying but it supports it.

Thank you, this is really helpful information!!

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Is the scratch organic? If they free range, is your pasture organic? If not, then you may be wasting your money paying for organic feed. Try a bag of good, fresh all-flock and see what they think of that, and withhold the scratch for about a week. If they turn up their beaks at it, try getting it wet and making a mash of it, but you have to make a fresh batch every day so it doesn't sour. You can also try putting some plain yogurt in it. Most chickens find that to be a great treat.

Thanks so much for your advice - scratch (lollies) is not good for them in access and I find with silkies it gets stuck in their crop!, I have had about 20 or more silkies and had 2 with sour crop and 2 with blow out. Not sure what "all-flock" is - in Australia there is a "mixed-flock" brand. I will try removing the scratch for a time. I am just weak and when we give them vegetables and chicken pellets etc they cry out and make a noise for scratch. It reminds me of having naughty kids again from 20 years ago and I am getting too soft in my older age/

 

[nuthatched]

thank you, yes i think scratch is a culprit, silkies are fussy, and mine wont eat the organic feed pellets, they want scratch and corn - so i think this is the problem. 90% of their food is organic layer pellets but they just wont eat it.

They're not fussy, they're spoiled. they know there's tasty junk good available if they don't want to eat their healthy dinner. Cut out scratch completely, they'll eat their food when hungry enough.
Side bar, unless the scratch and corn are also organic, you're wasting your money because in order to say you feed organic, the diet had to be 95% organic or more. Organic Feeds are often nutritionally lacking since it's expensive or impossible to find the needed ingredients in organic. So unless everything is organic, you may want to consider a new feed. :]

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks so much for your advice - scratch (lollies) is not good for them in access and I find with silkies it gets stuck in their crop!, I have had about 20 or more silkies and had 2 with sour crop and 2 with blow out. Not sure what "all-flock" is - in Australia there is a "mixed-flock" brand. I will try removing the scratch for a time. I am just weak and when we give them vegetables and chicken pellets etc they cry out and make a noise for scratch. It reminds me of having naughty kids again from 20 years ago and I am getting too soft in my older age/

Is chick grower available?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

calcium and shell grit) multivitamins, any other kitchen scraps/foods that can help?

Mixed flock is probably the same as what we call all-flock. Can be fed to all kinds of poultry at any age, so yes, that sounds fine.

Oyster shell "grit" is not true grit. Oyster shell is only taken by laying hens and is used for making strong shells. All poultry also needs crushed granite grit for digestion, because they don't have teeth. It goes into their gizzard, a strong, two-lobed muscle in the digestive system that grinds hard grain. Like oyster shell, it also can be provided in a separate vessel, available 24/7.

If their feed is properly balanced (as the mixed-flock undoubtedly is), then there is no need to give additional vitamins or kitchen scraps, you will only unbalance their diet. All other treats should be withheld until they are consistently eating the mixed flock feed, which provides all the nutrients they need to be strong and healthy. Which is what you want for them.

 

[townchicks]

I'm sorry about your losses, that's always hard. Genetics, ugh, nothing to do there, except for future additions, discuss egg size with the breeder, even ask to see the eggs if you can. For now, yes, subtract the scratch. Offer only their pellets, if they won't eat them, you can try mashing them into smaller pieces, like a crumble. If that helps, buy crumble in the future. You speak of adding "shell grit" to the food. First, those are two different things. Oyster shell is to add calcium carbonate to the diet, to aid in shell formation and contraction in laying. Grit is small hard stones, usually granite, that gets stored in the gizzard, to grind up seeds, etc. One is meant to dissolve, one not, they can't be both at the same time. Figure out what you have, and get the other, and offer both in separate containers, and not mixed with the food. The goal is to get the right amount of calcium into the hens, to aid egg laying. Layer food is calculated for the average, offering oyster shell is for those that feel they need more, so offered free choice. So the goal here is the right nutrition, to promote easier laying, and reduce body fat, which makes it harder. Next, how much exercise do your hens get? Good muscle tone is key to keeping the "innards" in the right places, and helps contractions in laying. How big is your run, do they get out of it ever? If they can't, for safety, can it be enlarged, and or different levels added, think multiple height perches, chairs, ladder, sawhorse, etc. Anything that gets them moving.. Digging for bugs, chasing butterflies, you get the drift. Instead of scratch, shred carrots, zucchini, cucumber, etc, and scatter SMALL amounts around the run, to hunt and digging for. Exercise and enrichment. Do this later in the day, so they've had to eat some of their pellets first. At worst, it's a better way to spoil your girls, and it might help.