[Hillview Farm]

Following my sneezing chickens post I now have another problem. One of them is very underweight and I mean worryingly skinny. Does anyone have any ways/ ideas as to getting the poor little thing to put some weight on.

At the moment they have layers pellets on an ad lib basis and they are on fresh grass.

[AndynJ]

vegetable oil in with the feed & water only small amounts, it improves the feathers but they do usually put weight on as well

[Castle Farm]

Stop feeding layers pellets and start feeding cut maize and wheat. Use cod liver oil and dried skimmed milk powder on the grain.Just a dribble of CLO and a pinch of DSMP.

[Steph Hen]

Last winter I had one skinny hen - even though they had ad lib mixed grains, OSR, peas, etc, and the others looked great, she was the bottom of the peckng order. They had been wormed too. So every night I brought her into the hall for an extra feed. She was stressed the first couple of times for half a minute, but then saw there was food on the go and started pecking away. She'd eat a good handful and then settle down in the cats' bed to sleep, I'd pick her up and pop her back in the hutch. After a short time she was quite happy to be picked up. One really cold days I just kept her in the hall with the heater on.

I found growers pellets, softened with some warm water into a mash with a bit of vegetable oil worked wonders. She could eat quite a lot of this food.

I did wonder about culling her at the time, but am so glad I didn't, she lays beautiful dark eggs and at the moment is a super broody, and its handy that she's tame.

[HesterF]

Do you know whether she's laying at the moment? If not, is there any way you could switch her (or all of them) onto growers? Most of mine are on growers at the moment anyway although it's a slightly odd mix. It's quite tough to know what is best but certainly with the ducks, I have 17 in total only two of whom are laying at the moment so I have them all on growers and have to hope the two that need the calcium can get it from the shell in the grit and foraging.

H

[Hillview Farm]

Shes not laying so I can put heronto growers. Out of the group one was laying but stopped 2 days ago. They would all benefit with some extra condition for winter. Thank you very much!