Wasting away

[Disheygirl]

My three year old Australorp started laying down a lot about two months ago. Like, she’d just be in the yard eating grass, laying down. Everybody else stands. She is extremely prone to broodiness - laid like two eggs as a pullet and went broody; didn’t lay for months after. Seems to go broody a few times a year, so I thought it was just that - half-brooding since she’d get put in broody jail when she was being legit broody and it started right after I broke her for the tenth time.

She eats, socializes, her feathers are clean and shiny, comb normal, no limping, no physical issues with her legs or feet. The other day I picked her up - none of my girls are snuggly so I don’t hold them often. I was surprised at how light she felt. Like, she looks the same as she always has, but she’s as light as a feather.

I don’t see any obvious issues. They’re on organic layer mash, free choice eggshell, live on construction sand (run), shavings (coop) + go in the yard when I’m with them (they are limited to a fenced grass area).

Nobody else is acting off or sick, I don’t see bugs, bumblefoot, or anything else. Crop feels normal but she has zero breast meat now. Thoughts? I swear, she is half the weight she used to be.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Weight loss is either an inadequate energy intake, an inability to process or absorb energy, or a condition that causes more energy to be utilized than is taken in or some combination. If she’s eating well and your ration is adequate look for rule outs that either impede energy absorption or increase energy demands on the body: parasites, cancer, organ failure, insidious infection, can’t access feed due to social pressure…

 

[Disheygirl]

Weight loss is either an inadequate energy intake, an inability to process or absorb energy, or a condition that causes more energy to be utilized than is taken in or some combination. If she’s eating well and your ration is adequate look for rule outs that either impede energy absorption or increase energy demands on the body: parasites, cancer, organ failure, insidious infection, can’t access feed due to social pressure…

Is there a good broad spectrum anti parasitic? Ivermectin or safeguard - something I can give that won’t hurt in case it’s that? I don’t see any suspicious poops, but just in case…

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My three year old Australorp started laying down a lot about two months ago. Like, she’d just be in the yard eating grass, laying down.

She eats, socializes, her feathers are clean and shiny, comb normal, no limping, no physical issues with her legs or feet. The other day I picked her up - none of my girls are snuggly so I don’t hold them often. I was surprised at how light she felt. Like, she looks the same as she always has, but she’s as light as a feather.

Can you take a sample of her poop to your vet for a fecal float? This will tell you is she needs deworming.



With her being 3 is she molting? She's not very productive, so she may have some type of reproductive problem, but it's hard to know unless you lose and her have a necropsy performed.

Sounds like she's relatively bright within herself at this time if she's eating/socializing, in good feather, etc.

If it's not possible to get a fecal float, then you could deworm her to see if she improves.


To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row. (Do Not use Safeguard if birds are molting).
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/