Underweight chickens are more vulnerable to illness, injury and stress which all have an effect on their ability to lay eggs.
Underweight chickens should receive more feed and water, as well as occasional treats. Doing this encourages them to eat regularly and maintain a healthy weight.
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Feeding Tips
Chickens who are underweight may experience extreme stress. Not only are they less likely to lay eggs, but they’re also more vulnerable to illness and injury.
Maintaining your chicken’s weight through a balanced diet of food, water and foraging can be done. In addition to an appropriate diet, they also require supplemental calcium as well as other necessary vitamins and minerals for optimal growth and development.
To determine if your chicken is underweight, observe its behavior using a weighing scale and feel the keel bone located between its breasts. This should be your most reliable indicator.
If you feel a sharp or hard keel bone, that indicates your chicken may be underweight.
Gaining weight for your chicken without much effort is possible with some simple ingredients like cracked corn, whole wheat and soy. Feed them these throughout the day along with regular feed and fresh water, these three items can help increase its fat content quickly.
Observation
One of the best ways to observe your chickens is by weighing them. This will let you know if they are getting enough food or not, helping keep your flock in balance.
Chickens may be underweight due to a variety of reasons, including stress, disease, parasites and an inadequate diet.
When monitoring your chickens’ behavior and appearance, pay close attention to their brightness, alertness and responsiveness to stimuli. A healthy chicken will exhibit these characteristics.
An overweight chicken will not be able to produce eggs or consume as much food.
Another way to diagnose an underweight chicken is by feeling the keel bone between each breast. This bone extends beyond the breast bones and can be felt when placing your fingers under your bird’s neck.
Keel Bone
If your chicken appears to be underweight and you’re uncertain what to do about it, inspect its keel bone. This dark breastbone runs along the middle of a bird’s cavity.
The keel is linked to the shoulder bones and wishbones or clavicles. This bone plays an integral role in flight mechanics, providing protection for the flight muscles.
Chondroitin sulfate, found in chicken cartilage, helps keep it healthy and flexible. Not only does this benefit chickens’ joints, but could potentially prevent arthritis in other animals as well.
Treats
Chickens require a balanced diet with sufficient energy, protein, minerals and vitamins to stay healthy. Without these essential nutrients, chickens will start to gain weight rapidly and may develop illnesses.
Chickens often experience weight loss due to diseases, parasites, stress and vitamin deficiency. These conditions can be resolved with a few easy-to-remediate steps.
In addition to a nutritious and varied diet for your chickens, they need plenty of exercise as well. This will help them build muscle and keep them in optimal health.
Underweight chickens are more vulnerable to illness, parasites, and injury. These conditions can impair a chicken’s appetite as well as reduce its capacity for egg-laying.
Another way to increase a sick or underweight chicken’s appetite is to give her some treats. Popular choices for chickens include sunflower seeds and cracked corn.
