Sooo much pooping

[suzallie]

Hi..new to the forum..and to keepignchickens. We have had Ginger and Blondie for around two months..and love them to bits..great fun, and real personalities. Though the guy from Omlet saiud they may not elay for a few weeks, afgter teh first week, they both starting providing an egg a day each (variable sizes..but good shape and shells)

 

We have been worried about Ginger, who has been a bit quiet and nto herself for the last week. Her plummage is still glossy, and her red comb is red, eyes bright..and she is eating - not as much as normal, but still eating. She has not laid an egg for over a week, and we thought she might be egg bound, but she does not seem to have the right symptoms for that. She sits in the nestring box...but I don't think she's broody. The only thing I was thinking was that my neighbour has dicovered that her chicken ( 12 weeks or so old) is a cockerel. She is not making traditioanl cockadoodle sounds (!!) yet,. but he is a bit noisuy. Would this be enmough to put Ginger off her egg laying. Advice gratefully received! Suzallie

[Egluntyne]

I would give her a **Basic Health Check** to see if anything obvious shows up.

 

Is she free ranging? In which case, maybe she is eating too much in the way of foliage and bugs, and not enough pellets. Likewise if she is having treats. I'd cut right back on them to see if there is an improvement.

 

Also, have a check round the garden to see if she is laying her eggs under a shrub.

[suzallie]

Thanks Egluntine!

The health check is useful, though we have kind of done this, and she passes on all of the checks..apart from the eggs.

 

They both are allowed out free ranging when we are at home...so about 20% time. We have reduced treats... and trying to encourage the pellets, though they are now on non omlet ones which they seem not to be as keen on.

Still only Blondie laying!

[suzallie]

Hi,

Well Ginger, who was a bit not herself, and not laying, still has not laid an egg...nearly two weeks now. No sign of any overt problem, she is back to her old self, quite perky and looks well in herself. Now Blondie has also stopped laying. They are both pretty young, but they were laying one egg each every day shortly agfter they arrived from Omlet in June.

Both look healthy, red wattle, glossy plummage, and eating and drinking well.

 

Wehave reverted to Omlet organic food, after we had to use some layers pellets from the pet shop..(which I think they did not like much) they are now eating like horses (!!)and drinking well too. We have reduced their treats - only some lettuce and sweetcorn in the afternoon, and also less free ranging too..

OUr Neighbour's cockerel (who is a very nice looking boy) is beginning to crow quite a bit...would this disrupt our girls? Any advice?

 

Many thanks Suzallie

Ginger

Blondie

[suzallie]

Finally after it seemd like forever, our Blondie and Ginger are now both laying..one egg each a day, though Ginger's eggs are small.

Wethink it might be that the replacement feed they had was not right for them...ie they did not like it very much, and now we are back on the Omlet feed, their little heads have hardly come out of their feeder bowl!!

This might be useful for other newish owners to know...not all food is alike..Hurrah for |Omlet food (though not the delivery charge!)

Ginger

Blondie