Underweight chicken? Any tips?

[Chicknewbie202]

Hi! I have a 16 week old hen and I took her to the vet for a check up and he said she needed to put on some weight as her keel is very sharp and noticeable, I’ve never owned chickens before but apparently the grower feed she was on did not have enough protein. I have switched her to layer pellets but she refuses to eat them so I’ve resorted to adding a little bit at a time to her grower feed. I feed her pumpkin, broccoli, cooked oats and strawberries so far just wondering if there’s better foods to try?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

apparently the grower feed she was on did not have enough protein. I have switched her to layer pellets but she refuses to eat them so I’ve resorted to adding a little bit at a time to her grower feed. I feed her pumpkin, broccoli, cooked oats and strawberries so far just wondering if there’s better foods to try?

Layer feed has even less protein (usually 16%) than grower (usually 18%), in most cases. The treats you are feeding will NOT help as they're likely diminishing not only protein and amino acids but other nutrients.

Consider going with a 20% protein flock raiser or starter.. add oyster shell free choice on the side, if she's laying or close to laying.

Otherwise.. consider still using just the grower and cut out those treats.

Does she have other chicken friends that she's living with? What is your pullet?

 

[DemeterAD9]

What brand were you feeding, how much/often?

Normally if fed a proper chicken feed they will not be thin. Offer grower/flock raiser 24/7, something with 18%+ protein. As stated above, calcium on the side is a good idea for laying hens. Treats are fine but if they are filling up on low value treats they won’t eat their feed and getting what they need. Also scrambled eggs and lean ground burger are good high protein treats. Yogurt, cottage cheese and cooked beans are good too.

Young birds are bound to be lean as their frame is still growing. Muscle tends to develop after they reach adult size.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A few thoughts.

Different breeds have different body conformations. Do you have others of the same breed? How does she compare to them? I hate to second guess a veterinarian, hopefully they have avian experience. For some breeds and body conformations, 16 weeks may be a bit young to hit the panic button.

How are your other chickens doing? When I have an issue I want to know of it is an individual problem or a flockwide problem. If it is not a flockwide problem I hesitate to treat the entire flock for an individual problem. It is possible there is something wrong with how her body processes the protein she eats. To me that would be like giving your entire family, kids and adults, a dose of castor oil if only one has an upset tummy.

So what can you do to increase the amount of protein she eats without harming the others? First cut out the low protein treats for the entire flock. That won't hurt them at all. You can research protein content to help you make your decisions. I'd still keep the treats to less than 10% of their entire diet so you don't cause a shortage in some other critical nutrient.

Did that vet do a decal count checking for worms. If one has worms they all do but having worms isn't the issue. It's when the number of worms they have get large that they have issues. Having a heavy worm load can cause malnutrition.

If you want to isolate her and feed her some extra high protein treats you can but I'd still keep the total amount down to not cause an imbalance in other nutrients. If you have to do something like this it may or may not be sustainable. Are you willing to do it for the rest of her life.

Good luck!