Skinny but practically NO symptoms??

[crystalchik]

I have a Belgian d'Uccle hen who is several years old that has, over the past maybe 2 years, gradually grown thinner. She is very thin now and Im not sure what to do for her. I have treated with Ivermectin for worms/parasites twice and she has been treated for Cocci to no avail. She eats regularly cracked corn/layer pellets and never misses a meal. I have her on medicated chick starter now for more protien. She eats treats of bread and pasta too. She is a little less active than most of my other hens.

She has no other symptoms that are obvious. No upper respiratory problems, no eye problems, sneezing, coughing, or discharge, no pasty or runny vent. And her feather quality is spectacular...she has a great show history, so no mites either. I had to ask a judge if I could still show her because she was so thin...I explain I had treated her for it but she just would not gain weight. They allowed me saying some are just thinner than others. But its getting to be too much now. The main thing I have noticed is that around her eyes is very pale, and her comb is as not vibrant as it should be. (It almost reminds me of enimia.) She also hasnt laid an egg in 2 years, which is heartbraking...she is a breathtaking bird, one of my best hens.

I dont what to do for her. For a while I tried to accept it as "maybe she is just a thinner chicken", but she is quite skinny now and not getting better. My d'Uccle line consists of many plump little birds, and Im just not sure what to do next. Im concerned I am going to lose her eventually. Any ideas or suggestions?
Oh, and my flock is NPIP certified.
Thanks!

 

[Hawkeye95]

how old is she? Is it possible she is near the end of her life span? Don't know much at all about thin birds- but I do know that my horses, the older they get, the harder they are to keep weight on and will eventually lose a lot of weight in their 30's. Perhaps she is just a 'senior' girl? Hopefully someone else will have more ideas!

 

[crystalchik]

I dont believe she is more than 5, but Ive had many birds pass of old age, and actually none of them have been thin. I have to say though, that is crossing my mind...im scared to think of it.

Thank you

 

[melissahj]

I am not sure what could possibly be wrong with your hen and I really hope that she will be ok!

If you are looking to try something else I would suggest food grade diatomaceous earth. I feed it to my chickens for the purpose of internal parasites and use it as a dust bath for mites however there have been studies that show many other positive health benefits that DE can provide including weight gain and increased egg production.

I suggest DE because it is all natural and is healthy to provide to all of your chickens. Just sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the diatomaceous earth in to your chickens feed each day, most chickens like DE and will also like to dust themselves in it if you spread it in their coop or pen.

If you want more information on DE and to read the study that I am referring to it can be found here http://absorbentproductsltd.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/diatomaceous-earth-for-poultry/

I hope this will help!

 

[speckledhen]

She could be laying internally. They can do that for a very long time, become thinner and thinner and weaker toward the end. If that is the case, there isn't anything you can really do for her. I haven't heard of that breed having this issue, but anything is possible, of course.

Diatomaceous Earth will not cure everything. Since she has already wormed the bird, she's done more than DE could do. It's great for external mite/lice prevention but this situation isn't one that DE will fix.

 

[Tracydr]

She could possibly have tapeworms, which don't get killed by ivermectin and don't always show on a fecal sample. I'd treat her for tapeworms.