How to get chickens to gain weight?

[June Chick]

My chickens have access to unlimited food, but they’re all underweight. They’re fed Dumor layer pellets with veggie/fruit scraps, grass, weeds, and bugs.
What will help them gain weight? Their keel/breastbone is prominent, but they’re all being fed well.

 

[staceyj]

You have to do some investigating.

Give each One a head to toe exam.
You already said the breastbone is prominent.

Here are some other things to consider:
What do the poops look like?
Have you ever wormed your birds?
Any sign of lice, mites, scaly leg mites?

You said they eat layer feed. Layer feed is ok and is a balanced industry standard but you have to remember that it contains minimal levels. of everything. Especially protein.

How is their appetite? Do they seem interested? Do you think that for the number of birds you have, it is being consumed at a reasonable rate?
Some birds like one brand but not another. Some prefer crumble over pellets.

Plus you said various scraps etc.
I would cut out all scraps starting today unless it’s pure protein, because when you add scraps and treats that SUBTRACTS from the protein level they are getting in their feed.

I’d add protein to their diet as soon as I could by considering an all flock or growing out feed.

You can offer good sources at home in the form of canned fish, cooked eggs, yogurt, even canned cat food for a boost, but you’ll likely come up short in the vitamin and mineral part of the mathematic equation.

You are starting at that 15-16% protein baseline on layer feed.
If you add treats or even free range during a time of year where bugs and other protein sources aren’t plentiful, that number declines and causes your birds to be deficient in nutrients. By the time you notice that they are skinny and raggedy looking, it’s a ways off before you can get them back to good condition.

They walk around with their puffy coats on all day every day.
That hides so much at 50 paces.
You really need to get your hands on them regularly to assess their conditioning.

 

[Mosey2003]

I recommend getting some fecals ran at the vet first.

 

[June Chick]

Just seeing this, I don’t have chickens anymore. Thanks for all the advice though.