I have been a member of the website for a while now but don't get to come online as much as I would like. I got involved in raising chickens because of my daughter and the 4-H program that she, and now I, belong to. We have successfully raised chickens for almost 2 years now, knock on wood, with little to no problems at all. We raise them to show and also to provide us with eggs. We have 12 chickens, all different breeds, in our home coop and we own 4 out of 10, wyandottes, in the 4-H coop that is at the barn we have our 4-H program through. This past year we added ducks to our backyard flock and have enjoyed them tremendously!!!
We had someone call us and ask if we would take in a hen. The son had gotten the hen as an egg, hatched it and raised it as a school project. They thought it deserved to be with other chickens and not alone. She was well cared for and had become more of a spoiled pet than a barn yard animal. We took her in on Christmas Eve, the whole family came to drop her off.
I could see right away that she was a big girl, bigger than the ones that we have. After seeing her out of the crate they had transported her in, she is really big... almost too big. She can walk. She can get up. But it all seems to be such a chore for her. She looks very healthy and is precious and sweet even comes when we call her. We really want to keep her but realize that her weight is probably going to be a problem.
So, here is my stupid question... is there anything we can do about her weight? Or, is she pretty much a lost cause? If there is something we can do, I'd want to try before thinking of the alternative.
I appreciate any information that anyone can provide!! Thank you!
We had someone call us and ask if we would take in a hen. The son had gotten the hen as an egg, hatched it and raised it as a school project. They thought it deserved to be with other chickens and not alone. She was well cared for and had become more of a spoiled pet than a barn yard animal. We took her in on Christmas Eve, the whole family came to drop her off.
I could see right away that she was a big girl, bigger than the ones that we have. After seeing her out of the crate they had transported her in, she is really big... almost too big. She can walk. She can get up. But it all seems to be such a chore for her. She looks very healthy and is precious and sweet even comes when we call her. We really want to keep her but realize that her weight is probably going to be a problem.
So, here is my stupid question... is there anything we can do about her weight? Or, is she pretty much a lost cause? If there is something we can do, I'd want to try before thinking of the alternative.
I appreciate any information that anyone can provide!! Thank you!
