Kitchen Garden Forum

My 6 yearold son and I started keeping a few hens last year,starting with 3 1 year olds and 2 chickens. Since they are my son`s (in theory)I picked dwarf cochins since they are soft and gentle. I bought a new rooster (ouch)and a few chichen. To make sure they are properly fed I feel their breastbone and most are rather plump! But one of the chickens from last year is very thin. She is very tame so I want to know is anything I can do to save her?

Have you wormed them recently?

My first thought too Chantal!
Also check for red mite, they will bring a hen down?

I havent wormed them,but wouldnt it affect more than one? I have checked for mites and they have just been treated for scaly legs.They have just stopped laying.Maybe they need more light.

Check that the skinny one is not being bullied either. Sometimes the others just push the lowest ranking bird off the food all the time. You can try having 2 or 3 food dishes so everyone gets a look in.

I also scatter feed some mixed corn onto the run floor every day, so no-one can hog the lot.

Sue

She is at the bottom of the pecking order,but since she is so tame she is sometimes given the run of the garden where she pecks and digs to her hearts content.I always feed in two dishes to make sure everyone has a chance. I´ll give the too small ones a chance before I start culling. How do you decide which ones to cull?

Hello Nini
If your hen is alert and the feathers are in good condition, I don't think that you have too much to worry about. As the others have said - check for red mite and treat for worms. Red mites live in the cracks of the coop during the day and come out to feed on the hens at night so that's where you need to look. You wont often actually see them on the birds.
A tube feeder with a 'top hat' for weather protection is always a good idea, far better than dishes, so that food is always available to the birds through the day. It means that everyone eventually gets a turn at the food. Hens know their appetites and wont overfeed themselves. I assume that their main feed is either mash or pellets - pellets are best for a tube feeder. A scratch feed of wheat or poultry corn is a good idea a few hours before bedtime.
Hens shouldn't be fat anyway unless they're heading for the pot! I have a skinny White Star and she's my best layer. I think hens are a bit like humans on this weight business - some are born to stay skinny but others will put on a bit of weight.
Why are you thinking of culling?

John

Thanks John. She is a quiet bird, when I´m sitting in the run she likes to doze between my legs. Her feathers are fine, a bit funny around the eyes.I´m feeding them mixed grain with pellets and greens as I find them. They get meat about once a week. I use dishes as I have no problem wiyh weather. I built it in June according to the rules about chicken flu.Nothing bigger than a fly is coming in. Im thinking about culling because of the space or rather lack of it.The run is only 4 sq meters and at the moment I have 9 hens and a nasty rooster. I know they are dwarf but still.