Unexplained Weight Loss

[RoostyRoo]

Hi there.

I have a Smokey Pearl hen who is about a year old. She seems to be losing a lot of weight. Someone in our flock isn’t laying eggs, but I can’t tell if it’s her. Other than that she seems totally healthy. She has a good appetite, is active, bright red comb and wattle, no signs of infection except we have been treating her for Bumblefoot but her scab from that is almost fully healed.

I’m worried about her and I would super appreciate any advice!

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi there.

I have a Smokey Pearl hen who is about a year old. She seems to be losing a lot of weight. Someone in our flock isn’t laying eggs, but I can’t tell if it’s her. Other than that she seems totally healthy. She has a good appetite, is active, bright red comb and wattle, no signs of infection except we have been treating her for Bumblefoot but her scab from that is almost fully healed.

I’m worried about her and I would super appreciate any advice!

Thanks!

Welcome To BYC

Have you been tracking her weight?
If not, weigh her now, then track it a few times a week for several weeks to see if she's actually losing, staying the same, etc.

Is she molting? Sometimes a hen can look like they are losing due to feather loss.

You report a good appetite, active, bright comb, active. Sounds like she's doing o.k.

 

[RoostyRoo]

Welcome To BYC

Have you been tracking her weight?
If not, weigh her now, then track it a few times a week for several weeks to see if she's actually losing, staying the same, etc.

Is she molting? Sometimes a hen can look like they are losing due to feather loss.

You report a good appetite, active, bright comb, active. Sounds like she's doing o.k.

We hold her all the time and she feels much lighter than normal, but we haven’t actually weighed her. How do you weigh them accurately? We thought of trying the “hold the chicken and weigh yourself and compare it to your weight without holding her” method, but they weigh so little and our weight might fluctuate a little so we weren’t sure it would work. Suggestions?

 

[Skyeknight]

We hold her all the time and she feels much lighter than normal, but we haven’t actually weighed her. How do you weigh them accurately? We thought of trying the “hold the chicken and weigh yourself and compare it to your weight without holding her” method, but they weigh so little and our weight might fluctuate a little so we weren’t sure it would work. Suggestions?

You could put her in a box or carrier and weigh her that way. Depends on how big she is, but a kitchen scale would be more accurate than one for humans. If you do choose to the hold and weigh yourself with her method, then you just need to weigh yourself every single time too. That way the fluctuations in your own weight do not matter.

 

[RoostyRoo]

You could put her in a box or carrier and weigh her that way. Depends on how big she is, but a kitchen scale would be more accurate than one for humans. If you do choose to the hold and weigh yourself with her method, then you just need to weigh yourself every single time too. That way the fluctuations in your own weight do not matter.

Thanks for the advice! I will try actually tracking her weight. If she is losing weight do you have any advice on what to do?

 

[Skyeknight]

Thanks for the advice! I will try actually tracking her weight. If she is losing weight do you have any advice on what to do?

Sadly I do not. There are lots of reasons why she could lose weight, so you should probably look on this site or Google what reasons those could be.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I noticed something similar with my head of the flock, she's now the smallest despite being the oldest pullet. She's light and more feathers than meat, which she was at one point feeling more full and less fluff and bones. She's laying daily a good egg and acting normal. Never got answers I checked her over for mites, didn't see any eggs. Still treated her for them and the coop (and everyone else in case) and her weight has stayed generally steady since but still lower than 4lbs. Others are gaining weight. Poos have stayed solid too. FYI I'm comparing her to others of the same breed just younger.

 

[RoostyRoo]

I noticed something similar with my head of the flock, she's now the smallest despite being the oldest pullet. She's light and more feathers than meat, which she was at one point feeling more full and less fluff and bones. She's laying daily a good egg and acting normal. Never got answers I checked her over for mites, didn't see any eggs. Still treated her for them and the coop (and everyone else in case) and her weight has stayed generally steady since but still lower than 4lbs. Others are gaining weight. Poos have stayed solid too. FYI I'm comparing her to others of the same breed just younger.

That sounds similar to mine. No sign of infection. Just had the flock spot checked for parasites a month or two ago. Eating well still.

With the advice of @Skyeknight we were able to get some actual weight measurements. We sampled some of her siblings (same breed and age) and they are about 5-6 lbs. She is about 4 lbs.