Weight for female SI?

[Duchessbird]

Hi all,

I own a Solomon Island hen and have had her for about three months now. When I first got her she was relatively thin, and at her lightest only weighed about 380 grams. She weighs an average of 405 grams now. Does anybody have an idea of what a healthy weight would be for a female SI? I'm concerned I overfed, or at least should make sure she doesn't gain any more weight.

Best,
Bailey

 

[Duchessbird]

And yes, she eats very well. She gets 15 g pellets in the morning, the rest is a variety of soft foods, maybe 70-80 g a day. It's possible I am feeding too much fruit (I'm a biologist and love to learn about and try to recreate the diet she'd eat in the wild), generally 50-60% of her soft food is fruit. She loves sweet potatoes, cauliflower, peas, beans, and cooked grains, but it's often a struggle to get her to eat green leafy vegetables. Generally they have to be put in the blender and clandestinely mixed in with her chop. Additionally she gets about 1/4 to 1/2 of a walnut per day, maybe that is the problem.

Her feathers are absolutely gorgeous right now, so shiny, deeply colored, and glowing from within, so I assume she must be getting all her nutrients.

 

[chris-md]

If she’s pure SI, then it’d be low to mid 300s, 320 a good average. But pure subspecies are not terribly common, so it’s possible your bird is a mix, if 380g is underweight. She probably wants to be around 425, the average weight of a larger subspecies.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Chris has got you covered on the actual weight numbers.

The general best way to check that she's at a good weight is to feel her keel bone. That will tell you if she's under or overweight for her own little body. If you're uncertain how, ask your avian vet to show you how to feel for it and talk to them about these concerns.

 

[Duchessbird]

Chris has got you covered on the actual weight numbers.

The general best way to check that she's at a good weight is to feel her keel bone. That will tell you if she's under or overweight for her own little body. If you're uncertain how, ask your avian vet to show you how to feel for it and talk to them about these concerns.

Thanks for reminding me about the keel trick... I did that a million years ago when I bred pigeons, totally forgot about its legitimacy.

 

[Anansi]

Yes, the keel is the best way to know for certain. Ekkie hens tend to be more solid than their male counterparts, but sizes can vary from one to the next. As such, average weights should only be viewed as guidelines. Feeling for the keel bone, as Charmed mentioned, is definitely the best bet.

My female SI ekkie hangs between 395 and 405g.