My Plymouth Barred Rock will be 2 years old in May. she stopped laying for the first time about a month ago. The molting seems to be complete. Over the past couple of months, her weight has halved, from 5 pounds to 2.5 pounds. she was never a super-charged energy girl, so her behavior seems fairly normal, maybe a little less active. she looks healthy, no noticeable changes in behavior. If you have thoughts about this weight loss, I'd appreciate hearing them.
You need to be a member of AZ Herb Forum to add comments!
I would guess that you may have a parasite issue. It's not normal for a bird to lose half of her weight, if she's the bottom of the pecking order it could also be that the other birds aren't letting her eat enough.
she is not at the bottom of the pecking order; and they don't prevent each other from eating at the feeder. I don't see parasites, but maybe there aren't to be seen or I'm missing them. Should I separate her or end her life or how is best to manage this issue?
I don't think separating her is necessary. If this has been going on long enough for her to lose that much weight and she doesn't have any visible symptoms, they've all been exposed to whatever is causing her problems. Have you checked all of your other hens to see how their weight is? Their fluffiness can trick you, I like to check for muscle tone by feeling around the keel (breast) bone. Since you've had birds for awhile, you probably have a good idea as to what this 'should' feel like...
The parasite is likely an internal issue. My guess would be worms as that's the most common, but it really could be a number of things. You may want to take note of where she is sleeping tonight, and examine her droppings first thing in the morning for any signs of worms (ahh, the pleasant parts of keeping livestock...) What color are her comb/wattles? I'm guessing they aren't red like a currently laying hen, but are they a pink like a bird that isn't currently laying or more pale than that? A good book to have around is the Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow, it can really help you narrow down issues like this. Keep us posted on what you find.
I don't suspect that this is being caused by lice or anything, but this seems like a good opportunity to remind people reading this to check their birds for this. The easiest check is to look underneath the fluff around the vent. The lice themselves are straw-colored, their eggs look like masses of grayish eggs stuck to the feathers, almost like feces. Google image search, but not before meals. (There are different kinds of poultry lice, but this is the most common)
Replies
she is not at the bottom of the pecking order; and they don't prevent each other from eating at the feeder. I don't see parasites, but maybe there aren't to be seen or I'm missing them. Should I separate her or end her life or how is best to manage this issue?
thank you so much for responding.
I don't think separating her is necessary. If this has been going on long enough for her to lose that much weight and she doesn't have any visible symptoms, they've all been exposed to whatever is causing her problems. Have you checked all of your other hens to see how their weight is? Their fluffiness can trick you, I like to check for muscle tone by feeling around the keel (breast) bone. Since you've had birds for awhile, you probably have a good idea as to what this 'should' feel like...
The parasite is likely an internal issue. My guess would be worms as that's the most common, but it really could be a number of things. You may want to take note of where she is sleeping tonight, and examine her droppings first thing in the morning for any signs of worms (ahh, the pleasant parts of keeping livestock...) What color are her comb/wattles? I'm guessing they aren't red like a currently laying hen, but are they a pink like a bird that isn't currently laying or more pale than that? A good book to have around is the Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow, it can really help you narrow down issues like this. Keep us posted on what you find.
I don't suspect that this is being caused by lice or anything, but this seems like a good opportunity to remind people reading this to check their birds for this. The easiest check is to look underneath the fluff around the vent. The lice themselves are straw-colored, their eggs look like masses of grayish eggs stuck to the feathers, almost like feces. Google image search, but not before meals. (There are different kinds of poultry lice, but this is the most common)