Skinny chickens?`

[equi]

Hi, i picked a few of my hens up today and they seem kinda skinny to me? I'm not exactly sure how a chicken is supposed to be but to me it felt very lean and i could feel the chest bone and no fat around the sides and minimal fat on the thigh. They have always got food, the trough has never ran out. I feed them on a mix of laying pellets and corn mix which is all mixed in together. They have grit and water and get veggies every now and then.

Any ideas? (there are 4 hens by the way laying 3-5 eggs a day)

 

[VelvettFog]

I'd drop the corn from your mix -- it's 'candy' and should only be used as a treat (in my opinion)

 

[CluckyJay]

What breed are they?

You may want to try and worm them, just in case.

 

[Tracydr]

Heavy laying production breeds will always feel thin. It's also worse for the health of a hen to be fat than thin. If combs are nice and red , sounds like egg production is good, I wouldn't worry. If worms were stealing enough nutrition to make a difference, first thing to drop would be egg production.
Ever seena fat dairy cow? Same thing. All calories go into producing.

 

[gronsk]

What breed are they?

 

[ICallMyselfCherie']

I'm wondering what breed they are as well. Thais, Malays, Mod. Games, etc. are naturally more lean. Short of knowing the breed, I'd suggest looking for mites.

 

[yomama]

Quote:
Good point. I've always seemed to have thin hens. When I pick them up, I can feel their breast bone quite well. They are wormed about twice a year, are looked over regularly for mites, have healthy looking feathers and combs, have 24/7 access to layer feed, freerange, get BOSS and a little corn. Most of my breeds are large fowl known for good egg producion. I've always wondered why they feel thin. This explains it.

 

[equi]

I think it is just because they are laying hens then! I think they are sussex and something else, not sure. I just got laying hens

They got wormed as soon as i got them (about 2 months ago) and dont seem to have mites. They are healthy and very active so i will stop worrying about them

 

[cluck n stuff]

I have t

Good point. I've always seemed to have thin hens. When I pick them up, I can feel their breast bone quite well. They are wormed about twice a year, are looked over regularly for mites, have healthy looking feathers and combs,  have 24/7 access to layer feed, freerange, get BOSS and a little corn. Most of my breeds are large fowl known for good egg producion. I've always wondered why they feel thin. This explains it.

he same problem I have 4 2 month old orpeys and they have gotten thin and the stink pretty bad HELP!