[Fat Hen]

Hi, today I picked up Daisy for a cuddle.  Couldn't help noticing she was a little thin.

I clean hen house weekly & hoover it.  Use red mite powder (though no evidence of red mite).

Chooks have constant supply of pellest (always surplus at end of day, though they don't show much enthusiasm for them).

Get corn, daily.  Occasional treat (not everyday).

Daisy is laying regularly, though she feels too thin, very prominent breast bone.  Otherwise seems normal, and happy.

Any thoughts/advice welcome.

[Aunt Sally]

Egg laying breeds are never plump like table birds so don't be too worried.  You could try giving an extra treat (the chooks will think it a treat but it's not really).  

Through the winter I give my girls pellets all day as usual and greens as usual but in the afternoon I give them some warm layers mash with a few bits of treats in - I use garden bird seed and meal worms but only very little just to make it seem interesting.

About a small teacup full of layers mash (crumbs) for my two birds mixed with about half a cup of boiling water so its still very crumbly.  They love it.  If they are moulting I add a little extra protein often about a teaspoon each of cat food.

Chooks are just like children really,  easy to fool  

[Fat Hen]

Cheers, Aunty.  Daisy's a little Silkie.  I suppose I'm a bit paranoid cos when Rita had to be "put down", vet said she was somewhat on thin side, and I hadn't really noticed.  A few weeks before she felt fine, then when you look at them they still look chunky and ok with all those feathers.

Daisy is a little sweety (with some thug mixed in), always first there when you go out but isn't picked up as much as when first got, or summer, tends to be covered in mud.

So she looks fabulously healthy but when I picked her up she felt thin & a little bony.  

She's laying eggs like ther's no tommorrow.

[Aunt Sally]

If she's laying a lot of eggs I'd give her some extra rations, and make sure she's getting oyster shell as well, big layers can easily run short of calcium and develop osteoporosis or soft shelled eggs.  

As I said a little bit of cat food or even some tuna (in spring water) is a very good supplement.

[Fat Hen]

There's always food left over at end of day.  They free range, get layers pellets and corn.

I give em greens as I can, I buy cheap cabbages, and keep buying metre lenghts of turf for them.

They have a dog bowl full of Oyster shell, and now i've moved it to a different part of pen they seem to be taking it better (one of the ex batts started laying shell'less eggs, completley formed just no hard shell, now fixed).

When I come home from work they get things such as yesterdays left over rice, spaghetti etc.

They were getting mealworms but have not had consistently for a few weeks, need to order more.

I'll try giving her some  cat food (bought when rita was poorly), and supplement her diet with a bit of white fish.  And order more mealworms, like the sound of your porridge/crumble thing.

[Aunt Sally]

The chooks like it.  I'll take a picture of it tomorrow.

[Fat Hen]

The chooks like it.  I'll take a picture of it tomorrow.

I'll look forward to that

[Lost in France]

Fat Hen, sometimes my silkies feel a bit thin. You don't notice their size when they run around as they have so much "fluff"! Agree with Aunt Sally, give her more treats and keep an eye on her. Have you noticed a weight loss or is it just that you've picked her up and she feels boney? My silkies do get thinner when they're broody as they don't come out for food very often so I do watch them and turf them out to eat...I think they get determination to be mummies and forget their meals! My broodies don't even come out for corn or treats so I often give them in the henhouse to be sure they don't miss out!

At least she's not a fat hen, (sorry Fat Hen!), because that's just as bad for her as being too thin!

Judi

[Aunt Sally]

Well I warned you I'd take some pictures Fat Hen  :roll:

This is how much I use for my two girls - Plus a few treats, not to many and no junk food !
 

I mix it with a little boiling water so that it's still crumbly - Do they like it, you'd think they'd never been fed  
 

[Fat Hen]

Brilliant aunt sally, thanks.  I'm just off to give em some "porridge" with a little white fish mixed in.

How do you manage to still have grass :?:   Mine has been all eaten & dug up.

[Aunt Sally]

The have their own little shrub bed to dig in his I guess is easier than digging up grass.  They graze the grass and keep it well trimmed.