Solitary chicken - need advice

[frenchlayer]

Hi all.

 

After much excitment of a leader board sized egg my Sue has not laid for 5 days, she seems her usual self and not under the weather. She has a clean backend, didn't want to poke around too much.

 

She is normally a regular layer with an egg every day, we have one extra large egg and one softy since we have had her, but this is the first time that she has not laid for 4 weeks.

 

Should I be worried? What can I check for if anything?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

Julie

[chelsea]

I would maybe do a lice check to see if there are any on her.

 

has she been wormed recently?

 

im sure its nothing major.

[frenchlayer]

ok, no lice, first time I have looked at her behind bless her, so I did check one of the others too, to make sure they both looked the same.

 

All clean there.

 

I haven't wormed them, but they do have cider vinegear in their water all the time. She is a bit squitty tho so it could be worms. I will pop to the vet and see what they recommend.

 

Many thanks for coming back so quickly.

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hi frenchlayer

This won't help you at all, but after weeks & weeks of laying everyday one of my pepperpots hasn't laid for 5 days either, (at least i think its the same one) We've had 6 eggs everyday & all of a sudden one became a little broody, she hasn't laid since although she isn't sitting in the nesting box any more.

I have checked & all seems well so i m just hoping its a phase. maybe of each of them not laying & soon normality will resume.

Hope yours resumes too & all is okay with her.

 

Ms Tillysaysabientot

[Phosphorus]

Interested in this as Alice my white star hasn't laid now in 4 days, she laid a normal egg on 24th, a softie about 2 days before that and a normal one about 3 days before that. Seems a bit up the creak at the moment.

 

I thought about the worms as her droppings looked a bit squitty after the softie, but now they are back to normal All my other layers are laying everyday now so really wish she would get with the program

 

She has only been laying for a couple of months so I am hoping it is still just the tackle working itself out

[NClaire]

Both of my Goldlines took a break from laying last summer - about 8 weeks after they started laying. I had no explanation at all, then the other 2 started laying and they restarted. The only thing I did was switch them from layers pellets to layers mash, which seemed to help.

[ubereglu]

Have you checked around the garden? We thought Molly had gone off lay, but it turned out she'd made a nest in the garden.

[abwsco]

Have you checked around the garden? We thought Molly had gone off lay, but it turned out she'd made a nest in the garden.

 

Mo, our cream legbar has laid next to the compost bin today. I found it at 9pm tonight I've read of someone finding 19 eggs in a nest before now when they thought there's had gone off lay.

[frenchlayer]

Hi all.

 

Well, we had an egg yesterday which was good news, and when I cleaned out the box on Saturday, I found the remains of 2 softies so that would explain a bit. Found one of the other chickens with the remains of what looked like dried yolk on her feet too, thought she was loosing scales but no on closer inspection - guilty party she had been obviously helping herself to Sue's softies.

 

I have made sure they have plenty grit and redone their sandbox.

 

I did ask someone over here it is was normal to miss a bit and he said yes, his often took a weeks holiday now and again, so Ms Tilywinkle nothing to worry about think. I suppose it takes a lot to make and egg they deserve time off.

 

However, bleedin vet was useless. I asked him for something for worms for laying chickens, and gave me a box of stuff to put in their water. When I asked him if we could eat the eggs still, he said no idea and started to read the box. Hmm don't think so he said. When I read the box it said NOT for laying chickens. I questioned him and he said, yes that's right but I don't have anything else !!!! how useless is that. I said what to others do and he said use that or have nothing. So I told him to keep it and I would ask you lot (flubenvet I know now but not available or not for french despatch either, will have to make a little white lie) He said to let him know because he would be interested to know too. Pah! & big gallic shrug.