Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[marmite+toast]

I have had my girls for two weeks now, they seem really content but I am worried that my Gingernut ranger seems on the skinny side, when I pick her up, her breast bone seems to be really pronounced and pointy (forgive the technical term!), my other chook in comparison (a Miss Pepperpot) looks much larger, although she is still too skittish to be picked up. They don't seem to get through many of their layers pellets, although I have seen them both eating them. The girls free range for between four and eight hours a day, is it possible they are enjoying too many tasty treats in the garden? should i do the same as i do for my kids and not let them out to play until they've eaten their breakfast?! Am i worrying unnecessarily? All these questions, it reminds me of when I had my first child! Any advice greatly appreciated. x

[miss_spent]

Isn't it just like having a child??

 

We have started to restrict ours to treats first thing so that we know they are getting some 'proper' food - so yep just like the kids!!

 

Have you made them porridge? I got the idea from the forum. You use their food and put some hot water in it and it goes like porridge. I then throw in a few real porridge oats and any frut that I know they like. They go MAD for it, but I also know that they are getting their food.

 

Could they be getting too much exercise??? I don't know enough being a newbie myself, but sure the other will know.

 

I was told when mine came that they were a bit skinny, but would soon fatten up. My Miss Pepperpot is also the more scared one and not so keen on being touched and picked up. My has laid since we got her, which really surprised me!

 

Sorry I am not much help!

[pipistrelle]

Same boat here, when we got our chickens the previous owner had fed them on left overs and they were quite rounded, now they're eating pellets they look rather thin, i can feel breast bones, I'm hoping this is normal as all three girls look happy and lay well. we do give them s"Ooops, word censored!"s too and they've been wormed.

 

Funnily my Miss Pepperpot/Black rock is skittish too, the other two, Gingers are much friendlier.

 

P x

[Olly]

A lot depends on what is 'normal' for your chickens. Bear in mind that laying hens tend to be thinner than 'meat' birds, so their keelbone will be more pronounced - you wouldn't expect them to feel (forgive me for mentioning it! ) as fat as a chicken that you'd buy in the supermarket. And some hens, like humans, are fatter than others!

 

If your hens are new and not yet laying, they may not eat much - trust me, as soon as they start to lay they will be eating a lot more and you'll notice the Grub emptying much more quickly. I would recommend however that you encourage them to fill up on pellets before free-ranging or treats. I don't usually let mine free-range until the afternoon, to ensure that they are eating plenty of pellets which will have all the nutrition they need, and a handful of treats is usually enough. Fat hens don't lay!

[jlo]

My is still the thinnest of my lot a real skinny lizzy! I would second the advice already given here and not worry too much about them not eating too many of the pellets at the moment.

[kevf1]

we feed ours when the feeder is empty.. they free range a bit .. and they will eat when they are hungry..

 

i feed them some greens every couple of days a handful of corn now and again.. and some mealworms but these are more so they scratch around...

 

neither are fat but the eyes are beady and the crown and wattkles all nice and red... and eggs seem to be popped out every day.. with only a miss now and again...

 

so as long as they appear happy and lively i wouldn;t worry they will eat what they feel they need to

[coco]

My two ex batts Lily and Lola both have very prominent breastbones but are both very healthy and laying well, I think it depends on the chicken.

[Egluntyne]

My ex - batts are all very skinny under their outer garments. They are bred to churn out eggs and their energies go into that rather than putting on weight.

 

If she seems well, she probably is.

[francesca88]

All my hens are like this - I can easily feel their keels. I took one to the vets not long ago as the silly chook had got herself stung in the face by a wasp and her eye had swollen up - the vet told me she was underweight, and that chickens should feel just like chickens you buy in the supermarket with plump breasts. I don't really know what to do about it either - they have a constant supply of layers pellets, get greens every day and also a handful of corn in the evening.

[hippy chick]

I had a vet a bit like that.

I went to see an emergency vet in Bradford with my girl who had a broken leg. The vet said that she had never seen a live chuck before and that she was extremely underweight and that all she could do was put her to sleep!!!

Needless to say I brought her straight back home again!!!!

TBH I don't think they understand that ex-bats are totally different to normal hens.

[Chucky Mama]

I really wouldn't worry about them. If they are wormed (flubenvet) and have pellets or mash readily available they should be fine. The temptation is to compare them to chickens that we buy in UK supermarket which are very different to what a 'real' chicken should look like. Even my greedy 'fat' chicken is not that well rounded My rangiest skinniest chicken is the best layer, fighting fit and can chase down any number of flying insects at dusk - a joy to see Not that different to my 3 children who are all well fed, skinny and very active