Summer weight loss??

[Margy1]

Is it normal for chickens to loose weight when the heat gets bad? This will be the girls first summer, and they seem to all have lost a bit of weight. We are in FL and it has been in the 90s for the past few weeks. They are in the shade, get a cool treat, they now have electrolytes in their water. But yesterday when I picked one of my girls up she seemed very light. I have been working weird hours so I have not been spending much time with them, so they have been being locked up and everything by my fiance. I tend to notice things that he doesn't, and he notices what I don't. So together yesterday we did a very thorough coop/run cleaning. Looking at droppings and everything else we so no abnormal droppings to indicate that they were sick, we looked them over and did not notice anything, but, we are very worried about the weight loss.

Is there anything else we should look or preventative treat which could be the underlying problem? Or is it normal that they loose some weight with these crazy temperatures?

All 3 of them are EE.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Have you noticed a change in feed consumption? This is often easier to use as a starting point, especially in a situation like yours where you aren't spending the normal time with them to observe. If you have gone through more or less feed in the last week, for example, or the last bag of feed purchased lasted more or less days than usual, that can indicate that there may be reason for concern. For example, if you are going through more feed but seeing a loss in condition, that is time to start considering parasites (sucking off nutrients from the bird) or pests (stealing feed) -- on the flipside, if you have seen a drop in consumption and a corresponding expected loss in condition that *could* be loss of appetite due to temperatures or it could indicate illness, etc.

 

[Margy1]

I have to double check with him as he is usually the one who brings the feed out because I can not lift the bag.When I am home and I am outside with them, which I frequently go out and spend time with them or watch from afar, I have noticed they are dust bathing and playing more now then they were during the winter. So, hopefully it is something as simple as that. We are going to keep watching their droppings, and do a preventative worming on them, just incase. They are showing no signs of distress such as tail feathers down, puffed out, etc. All look good and healthy, nice red combs/wattles.

 

[Cindy in PA]

You didn't say if your birds are laying yet, but a hen will look a bit thinner as she goes through egg laying. It takes a lot out of them! Just a thought.

 

[Margy1]

oh yes, all three of them are laying. Almost every day we get three eggs They have been laying since Dec.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, if they are laying everyday, that is a very good sign of good health. Good wattles, high activity are all signs that things are going well. They may have slimmed down just because they grew up and started laying.

Generally speaking, ill health the first signs are, less activity, less eggs, wattles pale, feathers do not look bright.

I would not worm them now, but more as you go into winter. Well, I don't know, do you have winter with shorter days? May be you get less eggs in the high heat of summer vs us northern people who get less eggs in the dark days of winter. Anyway, that is when I would worm if I saw signs of worms.

If you don't see signs of worms, mites, or lice... I think they are fine. You did not say what kind of chickens they are, you might check out the breed, and see what it says is an ideal weight. If you are close to that, then don't worry.

Mrs K

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You did not say what kind of chickens they are, you might check out the breed, and see what it says is an ideal weight. If you are close to that, then don't worry.

Mrs K

Agreed - often people have a very different perception of how much their animals should weigh, etc. - and our pets show it as there is a rampant obesity problem in pets in the US (can't speak to other places). Better to have an animal on the lean/healthy side than overweight - also, being overweight can have a negative impact on production.

 

[Margy1]

I mentioned in my original post, they are Easter Eggers. We discovered she has bumblefoot, we will be treating this weekend, poor girl . I have been looking online, but can not find anything that says what the ideal weight for her would be. I don't think that any of them are overweight though. I do not feed a lot of "treats" they do like to pick at the grass on the edge of their run though, and they occasionally get a little fruit.