What breed of hens and how old are they?We feed our chickens like royalty but they are SKINNY.
They do not LOOK skinny, they have lovely feathers (ok, aside from that 1) and seem super healthy. They eat a fermented mash. They are also fed supplemental black oil sunflower seeds and a scratch.
They are not all skinny, but some have that sharp breastbone feeling.
We lost one of our girls last week. It was rough and I don't want to go through that any time soon.
So, just in case, we are going to try worming them but have NO idea where to start. I looked on here for a bit but it seems like people have questions but there are no Worming 101 posts that I can find.
HELP!
For the record, we have 32 hens.
Check the body score photo and article linked below, you may find that they are not really that skinny(?).
Getting fecal float is always a good idea, but sometimes it's hard to find a vet willing to test chicken poop.
IF you feel they need deworming, then using an anthelminitic like Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Albendazole (Valbazen) would be what I'd use.
Both are dosed orally by weight.
Valbazen (Albendazole) dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.
Safeguard (Fenbendazole) dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once daily for 5 days in a row.
Are they all getting enough - no one is being bullied/kept from feed?
https://blog.meyerhatchery.com/2023/06/chicken-body-condition/