Skinny chickens?

[Moomin2]

Hi everyone,

I have recently taken charge of my boyfriend's (now our) chickens and two of the three seem quite skinny to me. The third is a Coucou de Rennes and is huge, so I'm wondering if I'm just comparing them to her. How can I tell if the other two really are underweight without literally weighing them? How much should their breast bone be sticking out for example? They eat layer feed and veg plus I've been giving them extra oatmeal and scrambled egg recently. How much feed should they be eating per day? If they are skinny, can I do anything to fatten them up? They rarely finish their feed but are pretty excited when I bring them snacks. They were treated for worms and coccidiosis last month.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

How old are they?

What are their breeds?

 

[coach723]

Here is a chart for general info on weight, but it's general. Some breeds will be leaner naturally than others. I have some that carry much more weight in the breast than others, and all are healthy. Like many other things, it's one thing to look at in a larger picture. Larger breeds tend to be less active and carry more weight than smaller breeds, and young birds that are still growing will carry less meat. Likewise a bird that is molting, or just finished a molt, they can lose weight during molt. You can easily get an accurate weight on them with a simple digital kitchen scale, for as little as $10. Any birds that are in question I weigh regularly to make sure they are maintaining weight. It's good to familiarize yourself with each individual bird so that you recognize changes. I would stop the oatmeal, it's not much as far as nutrition and can be hard to digest, and really watch any treats which means anything besides feed. Too many treats can change the amount of protein they are getting, and whatever they eat in treats (and yes they love them) they will not eat in feed. If you feel they are underweight switch to a flock raiser in the 18 -20% protein range and offer oyster shell all the time in a separate feeder, they will take what they need for calcium.
Curious, what worms you treated for and with what and dose?

 

[Moomin2]

Here is a chart for general info on weight, but it's general. Some breeds will be leaner naturally than others. I have some that carry much more weight in the breast than others, and all are healthy. Like many other things, it's one thing to look at in a larger picture. Larger breeds tend to be less active and carry more weight than smaller breeds, and young birds that are still growing will carry less meat. Likewise a bird that is molting, or just finished a molt, they can lose weight during molt. You can easily get an accurate weight on them with a simple digital kitchen scale, for as little as $10. Any birds that are in question I weigh regularly to make sure they are maintaining weight. It's good to familiarize yourself with each individual bird so that you recognize changes. I would stop the oatmeal, it's not much as far as nutrition and can be hard to digest, and really watch any treats which means anything besides feed. Too many treats can change the amount of protein they are getting, and whatever they eat in treats (and yes they love them) they will not eat in feed. If you feel they are underweight switch to a flock raiser in the 18 -20% protein range and offer oyster shell all the time in a separate feeder, they will take what they need for calcium.
Curious, what worms you treated for and with what and dose?
View attachment 1470385

Thanks so much for taking the time to explain all that. I would say that the two birds in question are somewhere between 1 and 2 on the scale. Probably more 2 but definitely skinny.

To explain- My boyfriend had 4 chickens one of which died two months ago. At this point I took things into my own hands and began examining the chickens. I asked the vet about the one that died and he prescribed Capizol and Métoxyl (these may be French products) for the others as they had diarrhea. He said just to put a desert spoonful in their water each day. There are also two with bumblefoot (one very severe) plus all had red fleas and scaly foot mites. So, as you can see, they haven't been the healthiest of girls.

I've become attached to the chickens and have learned so much on this forum so all of the above conditions are being/have been treated. Their coop has also been renovated and their run enlarged. So I guess I have been spoiling them with treats a bit, which is probably not the best. They are all around 18 months old and The two skinny girls are smaller breeds though I don't know which. We do give them oyster shell and they have a mineral block too.

 

[Moomin2]

How old are they?

What are their breeds?

They are around 18 months and I'm not sure of the breeds though they are both smallish.

 

[coach723]

Well, with all the things they've had going on, no wonder they are a bit underweight. Sounds like you are on the right course, and as their health improves they will likely put some weight on. Good of you to take them on and take care of them!

 

[True Patriot]

Sort out the medical issues first. Once they regain to their health they should go back to a normal weight. You are definitely on the right track, it will just take some time. Consider eliminating treats for now, their feed is balanced for what they need. If their systems are compromised from illness they need proper balance more. Best of luck, sounds like you're doing fine.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Are they all actively laying? Were you able to get rid of the external parasites or did you still need help?

Smallish is subjective... are you able to post pics?

Anyways Coach covered the bases well. Agree skip the oats.

AT the stated age... I would expect molt to happen before long?? So I would consider going with a flock raiser, grower, or unmedicated starter feed with the oyster shell still on the side, for you next bag of feed. The main difference in any of those terms will be on the guaranteed analysis tag and it is the protein and calcium content MOSTLY. I prefer to stick with a feed between 18-22% protein and under 2% calcium. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids... so it does make a difference for birds that go through molt. Also at that time they don't need the extra calcium and it *can* (doesn't mean will) cause kidney damage.

Sounds like the birds are in good hands!

 

[Moomin2]

Are they all actively laying? Were you able to get rid of the external parasites or did you still need help?

Smallish is subjective... are you able to post pics?

Anyways Coach covered the bases well. Agree skip the oats.

AT the stated age... I would expect molt to happen before long?? So I would consider going with a flock raiser, grower, or unmedicated starter feed with the oyster shell still on the side, for you next bag of feed. The main difference in any of those terms will be on the guaranteed analysis tag and it is the protein and calcium content MOSTLY. I prefer to stick with a feed between 18-22% protein and under 2% calcium. Feathers are made from 90% protein and it's amino acids... so it does make a difference for birds that go through molt. Also at that time they don't need the extra calcium and it *can* (doesn't mean will) cause kidney damage.

Sounds like the birds are in good hands!

Thanks for all the encouragement! I'm doing my best and so is my boyfriend now that he's realised that there's more upkeep to chickens than he first thought! Though I think that if I hadn't found this forum we would probably have lost all of them.

They are all laying every day. I actually didn't know that chickens molted... So I'm guessing that it hasn't happened yet. When I checked them today, two had no signs of fleas, one still has some eggs around her vent and dirty feathers (washed her and will re-treat her tomorrow). I just noticed the scaly leg mites a few days ago so I'm treating with bag-balm/vaseline and will be doing scrubs at the same time as their foot soaks for bumblefoot. The coop has been treated and I've put diatomaceous earth in their rolling-spot. I'm hoping that'll do it but I have the feeling it'll be an on-going effort.

Feel free to jump in on any of these issues! I literally didn't know how to pick up a chicken two months ago so I'm learning pretty much everything from what I read here.

Their food is nearly finished so I'll take note of your advice when we go to get the next bag.

I don't have any picks of those two though I could try to get some tomorrow