Very very thin hen

[yomama]

I would love some advice in regards to my 2 year old RIR mix bantam hen, Spicy. She is lowest in the pecking order in my group, and always tries to roost in the nest box. So, every evening, I go in and put her on the roost next to our roo, Rusty, the only one I know that won't try to knock her off. Tonight, when I went to put her on the roost, I noticed that her breast bone was protruding, and she has very little meat on her. I felt her crop, and it didn't feel very full at all. I tried feeling my other hens for comparison, but they are standard breeds. However, they had nice full crops and I could hardly feel their breast bone at all. She should be going through a molt right now, but if she is, it isn't very noticable. My hens freerange, and have complete access to layer 16% layer feed at all times. I can't say that I have seen her eating out of the feeder, as it is in the coop, but I do see her pecking around at the ground and she does eat the BOSS and cracked corn that I throw out as a treat in the morning. All my chickens, including Spicy, were wormed with Wazine 17 days ago, and wormed with Ivermectine 8 days ago. Any ideas of what could be going on, or how I could fatten her up?
Thanks!

 

[NonnasBabies]

Cat food is high in protein, you might try feeding her some and see how it works!!

Missi

 

[rosco]

Weight loss and decreased feed intake. could be one of several illnesses. is there diarrhea or shaking? here is a list of common illnesses: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

miss state univeristy had a diagnosis page up but it looks like it is down now.

watch the eyes for occular infection (coryza) and pick Spicy up and listen for gurgling in upper respiratory.

you could pick up a bag of antibiotic at a feed store and put it in the water. or sulfa drugs. both are relatively cheap. make sure you get some that can be easily delivered.

read over that link quickly and look for more symptoms for a while. when you think you've narrowed it down using symptoms, many times there are more than one illness (ex: coryza is often accompanied by mycoplasma G) treat the chicken with the appropriate drug you can usually buy at a feed store.

if it starts to go off by itself your chicken is getting sick quickly and needs to be treated. other will say separated from the flock.

 

[yomama]

Quote:
From what I can tell, she still seems to have an appetite. While I was holding her, feeling her body, I didn't notice any irregular sounding breathing, or shaking, and her eyes looked clear. Not sure about the diarrhea, but she did have a little bit of poo stuck to her rear, and I went ahead and removed that. It wasn't alot. I will check out that link. Thanks!

 

[MakNugget]

For what it's worth, my RIR is the smallest of my three and she's the alpha who exhibits no symptoms disease. She eats really well and her crop tends to be tighter than the others when full but is not impacted. They all have the same feed and treats. I know she eats well since I monitor them remotely and has regular command over whatever feed station she's at. I'm no expert but it may just be "normal" for that particular bird.

 

[Tinkspirit70]

I have the same problem with my Cochin girl, Carly..I started feeding B.O.S.S and adding a tiny bit of scratch to the feeder to entice her to eat. I have noticed an improvment. She is also perfectly healthy and happy) Maybe some girls are just naturally thin

I do however wish I had that problem

( way to much jiggle in my wiggle !!

 

[rosco]

yeah, one of our silkies got coryza and MG. i think they both hang around for recurrence. MG is said to have permanent effects on body condition. he is little and bony, albeit, all symptoms of illness are gone.

it will be a matter of time before he gets sick again.