Greystone farm
Songster
- Jul 7, 2020
- 136
- 135
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Hi there! I read somewhere online that Rhode Island Red hens are supposed to be roughly 6.5 pounds in weight, so I weighed my four girls and was worried to find that my largest is only 6.1 pounds! My second largest is 5.8, and those two seem healthy (shiny, good plumage, eating, plump), but my two smallest hens weigh much less and aren’t in as good shape. The two smallest weigh just 4.6 pounds each, and I’m getting really worried... they don’t have as bright plumage, they feel skinny when I hold them, and I’m not even sure if either did a full molt this year. Help! How do I get them up to weight? Do they have worms? Why are they so thin when the other two are not?
Note: one of the skinny hens, the one I’m most worried about, suffered a serious trauma about a year ago. She used to be one of the bigger ones, but after being attacked by a predator and barley surviving a punctured esophagus, she’s always been thinner. Could the stress of that kind of injury still be effecting her eating or something? She’s fully recovered now, just hasn’t grown back the feathers on the back of her neck fully. Below is an image of her.
Also, all of the hens will turn two early this May.
Note: one of the skinny hens, the one I’m most worried about, suffered a serious trauma about a year ago. She used to be one of the bigger ones, but after being attacked by a predator and barley surviving a punctured esophagus, she’s always been thinner. Could the stress of that kind of injury still be effecting her eating or something? She’s fully recovered now, just hasn’t grown back the feathers on the back of her neck fully. Below is an image of her.
Also, all of the hens will turn two early this May.
