foreveryoung Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Hi I have 5 hens and only one is laying! they are not broody and are happily scratching around. They have porrage with raisens and 1/2 a tea spoon poultry spice almots everyday and veg every other couple of days. their combs are nice colour and dosnt look small so is there anything else to look into??? also they are only about a year and a half old? nothing seems wrong with them but i am only getting one egg aday any advice will be greatfully recived emma x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Have you wormed them recently?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 yes about a month or 2 ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Emma - none of our are laying just now - Belle is moulting, and the other 2 seem to have given up for the winter. What breed are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 could be the norm then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I wouldn;t worry too much, as long as they appear happy and healthy, then I'm sure it's fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Don't give them too many treats - make sure they got lots of layers pellets/mash. (Are you sure they're not laying somewhere else?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaps Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Our last two chickens - Henny Penny and Chicken Licken - laid continuously without moulting until they died at around two years old. I always felt a bit guilty that they kept on laying without a break so with our current two - Lupin and Clover - I wanted them to moult properly to give them a laying break. At the beginning of October they began laying fewer eggs so I took some advice about helping them on with their moult by restricting their diet which is supposed to help them lose condition a little and help the feathers fall out quickly. I stopped giving them layers pellets which are high in protein and gave them some corn in the morning and a little more in the afternoon or plain treats - a little pasta or breadcrumbs or something. They lost condition quite quickly and didn't have huge appetites either. Lupin's comb went pink instead of red and she was first off with her feathers and into pillow fight mode with Clover following suit a week or so later. I felt a bit anxious about them as the moult coincided with the cold snap we're still having and they looked poor little things without their feathers and I wondered if they'd get cold but they seemed okay. And now! Lupin is sporting a wonderful new pair of white frilly knickers and although Clover is still bare bummed her feathers are growing really quickly too. The other instruction I had was to increase their diet as the feathers began to appear to get them back into condition. The trouble is they seem to have lost their taste for layers pellets . . . They turn their beaks up at it - they always liked corn better but now they won't eat anything else. I need to add that as well as their corn they have a good area to roam in so they pick up other things too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will start laying again but because they are already two years old I'm told we may have to wait until the spring. I still feel sorry about our first two hens and think if I'd known about the restricted diet I could have perhaps helped them into a moult too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I never knew it was something we could control - why is it so bad for them to keep on laying? Is that why they died relatively young? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaps Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 I'm not really sure about whether not having a laying break actually did mean they died earlier than they might have. (Chicken Licken had a muscular wasting disease also called 'going light' and the Henny Penny was apparently fit and still laying and then suddenly in a few hours became poorly and died but she had been looking quite scraggy.) I just thought it wouldn't do any actual harm to look out for signs that Lupin and Clover might be going to moult, and I heard that starting to lay fewer eggs can be a sign and act accordingly. I just had a feeling that it was hard work for their systems to lay all the time and feeding layers pellets, of course, encourages this. Would be very glad of opinions from more experienced hen owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 I have bantams which stop laying when the days get shorter. They stopped a little earlier this year because they had a moult. Silly birds doing it this time of year . I had no idea either that you could help them. Thats one of the reasons why I love this forum so much, you learn something new all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaps Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Probably Lupin and Clover would have moulted anyway and I didn't atually 'help' them much. But I definitely read that restricting the diet - especially leaving out layers pellets - gets it going more quickly. Another pre moulting sign apparently is a lower appetite. L and C don't eat vast amounts anyway (our last two were greedy pigs and ate everything that came their way) but they did seem to eat a bit less. Anyone know if you can bring on a moult if there are no signs (like laying fewer eggs or poor appetite) and whether moulting is beneficial? The chap at our local animal store thinks I'm totally barking the way I buy tonics and special bits and pieces for Clover and Lupin as he says most people in their right mind feed their hens as little as possible for the greatest number of eggs. When I told him about this web site he couldn't stop laughing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine C Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 I just had a feeling that it was hard work for their systems to lay all the time and feeding layers pellets, of course, encourages this. Would be very glad of opinions from more experienced hen owners. Hi Not that an experienced hen owner - had mine since mid March. But I have to say though that I had been a bit concerned that my girls should have a rest. They have both been very productive during summer, especially the gingernut who sometimes laid for weeks on end, and large eggs, without a break. The pepperpot generally had a day off a week. The gingernut is still laying for weeks without a break but the eggs are much smaller. The pepperpot has reduced to about 4 a week, but larger eggs. I was expecting them to moult to give them a bit of a break but they haven't. I think I would have felt happier for them to have a break after their productive summer season. Sounds daft but they must have a finate supply of eggs for their lifetime and all that egg laying must take it out of them. Anyway, just my thoughts with my limited experience. E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
