# Emaciated/Thin chickens



## pegasusangel00 (Mar 22, 2016)

My name is Joy and I am a new member to the forum .I am in need of some advice. I recently acquired a flock of 8 hens (Red-Sex linked and Orphingtons) from a friend that needed to get rid of them. I noticed that they are very thin. On every one of them you can feel their keel bone and it seems as though on either side there is not much meat to them. In the short time that I have had them they seem to be happy, eat well (layer crumbles) have good plumage, oyster shell available, lay about 6-7 eggs/day that are thick shelled, free range during the day and have adequate fluid intake. Their attitude is bright and alert, they don't seem sick at all. I checked them for mites and/or lice and did not see any. I did just recently deworm them since I do not know their past history and where all of them are thin I was thinking that there was either a worm infestation or malnourishment issue. Does anyone have any additional advice on what I should do to get them to gain weight? I have run into quite a few people who have said not to put weight on layer hens, but their breast bones are very prominent and I want to make sure that I am not missing something that can be treated Thank you!


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi Joy and welcome! My layers are fat and healthy, they lay well. I had a couple of roos at different times who would keep my girls away from the food. I actually lost one to starvation before I realized what was happening. He went to the freezer and over a period of 4-6 weeks they all gained back the wt. 
Long story short. . sounds like you've covered all the bases, so it may take a little time for them to gain. You might try giving them blk oil sunflower seeds to help speed the process.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

My girls also get most of the kitchen scraps.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Welcome. It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. Continue what you're doing. Dont expect allegedly malnourished or wormy birds to fill out over night. You can mix buttermilk in their feed for a few days if you wish, they'll fill out in time. BTW, what did you worm them with?


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## pegasusangel00 (Mar 22, 2016)

Thank you very much for all your help, I appreciate it. The feed store recommended I use Strike III.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I'm familiar Durvet Strike lll multi wormer. It has to be mixed in feed for several days for it to be effective. Personally I prefer liquid wormers that are given orally to each chicken individually. That way you know they got properly and effectively wormed. Wormers that are mixed in feed or water is guesswork. You dont know if a bird ate enough or drank enough of the treated water to be effective, or if they even ate or drank it at all. Additionally, wormy birds eat and drink less or not at all. This is just for your information.
It sounds like your birds are doing good and acting like chickens should. In the future, consider using Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer or Safeguard liquid goat wormer to worm your birds and administer one or the other orally to each bird.


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

Welcome to the best chicken forum on the internet and please post some pictures of your new additions!


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Welcome!Hope you like it here.If your hens didn't have enough weight on them and/or are sickly,they wouldn't be laying eggs.I would let them go and monitor them.My chickens lose a little weight over the winter and quickly gain it back when the grass turns green and the bugs come back out.Plus,free-range chickens are a little lighter than pen raised because they get more exercise and have things to do besides eat and sleep.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

dawg53 said:


> Welcome. It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. Continue what you're doing. Dont expect allegedly malnourished or wormy birds to fill out over night. You can mix buttermilk in their feed for a few days if you wish, they'll fill out in time. BTW, what did you worm them with?


The chickens may need a few more wormings 10 days apart. Once may not do it. How does their poo look? They are free range so they will never feel like a Perdue oven-stuffer-roaster. But you shouldn't be able to pinch their keel bone. You also might want to try feeding them some All Flock which is higher in protein than layer. What I use to jump start appetites is take a bowl and put feed in it and warm water and let it turn to mush. Chickens love that!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

How was the original owner feeding them? If it wasn't free choice or poor quality of feed then what everyone suggested so far, time, is what they need. It takes a while for them to catch back up once they've lost weight.


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## pegasusangel00 (Mar 22, 2016)

Thank you all for your help. I don't know exactly what the chickens were fed prior, but I was told by the previous owner that "they would go days without food and water", so I can only assume by their weight and that statement that they weren't being properly cared for. The feed store had also recommended All Flock, which I am going to get. I appreciate the help everyone!


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

pegasusangel00 said:


> Thank you all for your help. I don't know exactly what the chickens were fed prior, but I was told by the previous owner that "they would go days without food and water", so I can only assume by their weight and that statement that they weren't being properly cared for. The feed store had also recommended All Flock, which I am going to get. I appreciate the help everyone!


Well, that explains it. Good grief. Pegasusangel, I'm glad you have them in your care now.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea, me too. Glad they're with you!


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