4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Mark Meagher]

We received our chickens in late October, after about seven weeks Persphone started laying one egg a day and has continued this despite the cold weather.

Parthenope laid her first egg last week, but we have not had another since. She seems OK but has displayed some of the symptons of being "egg bound", is it normal that the hens will stop laying so quickly and are there any effective treatments if she is "egg bound" ?

 

Any advice would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[Christian]

It is possible that she isn't in the swing of things yet Mark.

 

If she is egg bound, then she would probably return to the nest several times a day or stay on the nest as if she was broody. Can you pick her up and feel her undercarriage? Does it feel swollen? Firm or loose?

 

Sometimes when a chicken is egg bound, the white part of her droppings (the urine) will leak out and you should see white stuff on her frilly knicker feathers. If in doubt, pop her into a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes or so, or a hair dryer on WARM not hot around the vent area might relax her enough to pass the egg.

 

Using vaseline or olive oil inside the vent will also help. If you aren't sure and you do think she is unwell, a trip to the vet would be in order.

 

Hope she is better soon.