Solitary chicken - need advice

[YickerAL]

Hi Folks

 

Just wanted to run something by you that has be a bit worried.

 

We have 3 girls, 2 lay each and every day, the third tends to miss a day. We have recently extended their run and have been keeping them in there all the time for a few days (they used to free range a lot). We are going away to Florida for 10 days later in the month, and they are going to have to stay in there all the time unfortunately, so we were trying them in there for a few days so they could get used to it. (We can only arrange for neighbours to top up food and water and remove eggs, not supervise freeranging )

 

Yesterday, on checking that they were OK, I noticed that the girl who doesn't lay everyday

had infact laid a tiny egg in the actual run, not the nest box. Whenever she does lay, they

are usually on the large side. I am worried that there might be something wrong with her.

 

Could it just be that they have been in the run for a couple of days and she is upset with us? Could she need worming? Could it be that I am worrying for no reason?!

 

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Andy

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I wouldn't be unduly worried . They can sometimes lay small eggs for no apparent reason (check out this thread .

 

I think they know when an odd egg is coming and don't like to lay it in the nestbox (softies often get laid through the roosting bars, for example). Often first eggs get laid in the run but you say yours are well into laying already.

 

I'm sure they're quite happy in their extended run - it's just us that get all guilty .

 

Enjoy your holiday - they'll be absolutely fine . (There's no harm in worming them if you haven't done it for a while, btw!)

[YickerAL]

Thanks very much for the reply and the link!

 

I will worm them before we go on holiday.

 

Andy