Lapinou Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Our two Gingernut Rangers are two years old now. Their previously perfect egg production (sometime we get three in one day!) has suddenly tailed off to one every three or four days and more soft shelled eggs, and they've eaten a few now before we've got them. They have always done minor pecking of eachother, but it has never caused any damage except for a very slightly bald neck on one of them which has never worsened. They get plenty of grit, greenery etc. in their diet - all the right things. This morning DH went to clean them out and there are a handful of maggots in the nesting box - not under the roosting bars. Oh, also there are more feathers around the run than usual in the last two days. We haven't seen them pecking more than normal...could they be moulting? Can anyone advise as to what we ought to do next? He's just doing his weekly health check on them now, but on the face of it, they're otherwise healthy - good red, firm combs; legs fine etc. Thanks to anyone who can help us disentangle what's going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I would check VERY carefully for clean botties - flystrike can affect chickens very rapidly, and if you search on here there are some threads about it. Other than that - they could be moulting, hens can do it any time of year; the soft-shelled eggs are, I'm afraid, probably a sign that they are reaching the end of their laying career. I have had more flies in the run this year than usual (usual being almost none) and I'm guessing this is partly down to the weather. Provided they are eating, drinking and generally seem ok, I would just keep a close eye. Someone else on here might have an idea, I've never found maggots in the Eglu but I suppose where there are flies, there will be eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lapinou Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 Ok, DH has checked them now. Vents clean and healthy. The neck of the more pecked one's neck is getting more sore. Anti-peck spray has never worked Are they likely to stop laying after only two years? And we've noticed more flies everywhere this year, so maybe the maggots are just a red herring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness3103 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 i'm so glad i'm not the only one to find maggots in the nestbox. i couldn't figure out why my girls were pecking at the hemcore in it yesterday til i saw it move i've been cleaning them out every couple of days because of the flies and found some in the poop tray too. the wir is swarming with flys and i've put up fly paper which is full, i've sprayed citronella on damp cloths and hung them up too but it's not having an effect. i'm worried now because i noticed tia had a bit of a messy bottome last night,so i'm off to check her out thoroughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'd worm your hens, lapinou, if you haven't already. 2 years on and hybrids do begin to slow down a bit. Nice to see you on the forum again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'm afraid that laying is likely to become less reliable after 2 years for hybrid hens like gingernuts. They are all different of course, and some go on laying for ages - but if you think about it battery hens are considered redundant after one year, because they don't lay as regularly. You may find yours go through phases, no eggs and then back to normal for a few months, or that they lay soft-shelled, or irregularly shaped eggs. If anti-peck spray isn't working and you have lots of distractions in the run then I think a bumper bit for the pecking hen might be a last resort. Interested to hear that other people are having fly problems, I haven't spotted any maggots yet but I will be looking very closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutti Frutti Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Yes, bluebottles are a nightmare here too. I'm poo picking the Aubiose twice a day and clearing out the poo trays every morning (now lined with newspaper - very easy) and then they seem to clear off. I too have tried Citronella/tea tree oil sprays on the Aubiose and a few hankies hanging up in the run but it seems to be a temporary repellent. Just about to go out to find a RedTop Fly Catcher. Our other fly catcher is full Have 6 empty lemonade bottles ready for DH to make his own No maggots though, thankfully... but keeping a beady eye out for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I damped my run down today in an effort to stop the flies. I poop scoop twice a day and sweep up every night. I have a red top fly catcher. Fantastic bit of kit, but flipping hell does it smell. I am paranoid about maggots, hate the little blighters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
