- Oct 28, 2012
- 15
- 0
- 22
One of my chickens started grooming and itching a lot. When I inspected her and the other 2 I could not find anything. Neither did I find anything in their coop (I did the paper towel test - and used my flashlight)
When I picked them up to check them, I noticed that they could use a little more weight - they seem to be very skinny. Especially the "Duck".
She has always been skinny , even when I first got her -she looked more like a cross between a duck and a chicken.
They were all on Scratch and Peck Layer feed (they are 23 weeks old, 2 are laying, Duck is not yet - all Rhode Island Reds)
I noticed that they were only pecking out what they liked and kick out the rest of the food. I think they might not have gotten all their nutrition since they were selecting what to eat. So I went and got them "Half Moon Feeds" Layer Pellets - but they are turning their noses up and just eating a few kernels and then go off scratching in their run. Does anybody know how I can get them to eat their layer feed??
But Back to duck: Yesterday I noticed that she was wobbly on her feet and kind of loosing her balance. So I took her in the house and tried to hand feed her. She took a few bites but seemed very week. I was afraid that I would loose her over night - but she was awake in the morning. (I had read every site I could find and figured - maybe I should have kept her on grower feed - since she is not laying yet (and seems to be behind the other two-smallish comb and skinny) or maybe she has worms (they do love to dig in the dirt - and as far as I know have never been wormed). So I went and got grower feed, electrolytes and Wazine (wormer) this afternoon. She really liked the electrolyte water and started eating a little bit of the grower feed on her own. After a couple hours she has eaten about 1/4 of her bowl and she seems more alert (still wobbly)
I was thinking of worming them all tomorrow but after reading the instructions on the Wazine (it says not to give it to weak birds) I thought maybe I should wait a couple of days if Duck continues to eat more, to give her more strength before I do the worming???
All of their droppings are normal, including ducks (hers where small, but she had a normal one today).
So here are my questions: Could "Duck"s weakness/ underweight come from malnutrition and not eating all their food or is it more likely that the malnutrition and not wanting to eat well comes from worms???? Should I worm them????
Why is Duck itching so much and there is nothing there???? What do I do about that?
How do I get the others to eat their layer feed ???? (I know I have spoiled them before by giving them oatmeal and grass and vegetables and so on - I thought that would be good for them but now I know that they have to eat their feed first and then the can have something else).
Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions? Please let me know.
Thanks a bunch.
When I picked them up to check them, I noticed that they could use a little more weight - they seem to be very skinny. Especially the "Duck".
She has always been skinny , even when I first got her -she looked more like a cross between a duck and a chicken.
They were all on Scratch and Peck Layer feed (they are 23 weeks old, 2 are laying, Duck is not yet - all Rhode Island Reds)
I noticed that they were only pecking out what they liked and kick out the rest of the food. I think they might not have gotten all their nutrition since they were selecting what to eat. So I went and got them "Half Moon Feeds" Layer Pellets - but they are turning their noses up and just eating a few kernels and then go off scratching in their run. Does anybody know how I can get them to eat their layer feed??
But Back to duck: Yesterday I noticed that she was wobbly on her feet and kind of loosing her balance. So I took her in the house and tried to hand feed her. She took a few bites but seemed very week. I was afraid that I would loose her over night - but she was awake in the morning. (I had read every site I could find and figured - maybe I should have kept her on grower feed - since she is not laying yet (and seems to be behind the other two-smallish comb and skinny) or maybe she has worms (they do love to dig in the dirt - and as far as I know have never been wormed). So I went and got grower feed, electrolytes and Wazine (wormer) this afternoon. She really liked the electrolyte water and started eating a little bit of the grower feed on her own. After a couple hours she has eaten about 1/4 of her bowl and she seems more alert (still wobbly)
I was thinking of worming them all tomorrow but after reading the instructions on the Wazine (it says not to give it to weak birds) I thought maybe I should wait a couple of days if Duck continues to eat more, to give her more strength before I do the worming???
All of their droppings are normal, including ducks (hers where small, but she had a normal one today).
So here are my questions: Could "Duck"s weakness/ underweight come from malnutrition and not eating all their food or is it more likely that the malnutrition and not wanting to eat well comes from worms???? Should I worm them????
Why is Duck itching so much and there is nothing there???? What do I do about that?
How do I get the others to eat their layer feed ???? (I know I have spoiled them before by giving them oatmeal and grass and vegetables and so on - I thought that would be good for them but now I know that they have to eat their feed first and then the can have something else).
Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions? Please let me know.
Thanks a bunch.
