Sooo much pooping

[egbert101]

I am not sure whether I have a poorly chicken or not . .

 

I got 3x ex-bats at the start of April. For the first 2 weeks we had about 2 eggs a day, and I am fairly sure that there was the one most straggly chicken that wasnt laying at all. After that we went down to 1 egg a day, then intermittent. From the start of May I was getting 1 egg a week if that - more often without a shell. For the last 2 or 3 weeks I have had no eggs, and there are feathers everywhere. The straggly girl now looks worse feather wise than when she arrived, however I can see new feathers forming, especially on the other 2 who seemed to go bald on their necks.

 

Last week I got one huge egg. Today I saw one of them - the better looking of them all - having a go and got another yolk and empty sack.

 

Now I know they are eating - I have seen them all at the layers pellets in the morning and they get greens and potatoes all through the week. Plus I know they have grit - they share a cage with 2 Copper Stars I got from POL at the same time and I get 1 or 2 eggs a day from those two ladies.

 

So - am i right in thinking they are moulting - why would one in particular be having a super severe moult? How long does the moult process last? Does Straggles sound ill - should I take her to the vet for a check up? Whats with the shell less eggs?

 

Any help or advice would be appreciated please - I am new to this so i want to be sure I am doing my best by them.

[Jools]

They are moulting so don't worry too much about the feather loss. It should take up to six weeks in all and they'll look stunning when they come out the other end. Some do it more drastically than others and it's often the best layers.

 

It is a stressful time for them though, so adding some poultry tonic (such as Lifegard - but there are others) to their water is a good idea. I'd cut out the potatoes and keep them on their pellets though, as they need protein to re-feather. In fact I make sure I feed my breeders pellets during the moult as it has a higher protein content than layers.

 

Most hens stop laying during the moult as they concentrate all their energy on re-growing feathers. However, those little brown girls sometimes try to do both, which may explain the erratic egg thing.

 

At least they're moulting while the weather is half decent!

[sage]

Sounds just like mind. Got 7 ex batts 22dn May, I started off with 6 or 7 eggs a day. I'm now lucky to get 2 or 3. Several times a week I get a softy layed overnight in the cube. Hilda (the bully who has not layed for 9 days) is seperated from the rest as she is attacking my little runt of the flock but she has started this week to looses her chest feathers. They all eat fine, they have oyster shells in the food and calcium liquid & lifeguard in the water. Was hoping it's moulting.

Sage