Fat Chickens

We have six chickens, and one chicken recently got very fat. She is sitting down. She laid one egg this am. Any thought on what it may be? Should she be isolated from the others? Our chickens are a Rhode Island red mix.

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Jun 07, 2011
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Fat Chickens
by: Countryfarm Lifestyles

If you are sure that this fat chicken is the same breed as your Rhode Island Reds, and not a meat bird, which might account for the difference in weight, then exercise is important.

If your chickens are confined, perhaps you can let them free range even for a few hours a day or build them a larger pen where they can scratch around in the grass for their food.

When giving overweight hens a treat rather give them fruit and vegetables that won't affect their weigh. Do not feed scratch or cracked corn to overweight chickens. Always give them access to a proper layer feed, but not to any extra treats that might increase their calories.

I am hoping too that when you say she is a fat chicken, that she is definitely overweight, and not sick.

Sick chickens fluff out their feathers, so that they look larger in size than they actually are. You will need to verify that she is not sick by examining her physically, and to make sure that her droppings are normal, her nose is clear and her eyes and comb look fine.

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