Poo help please!

[smartrus]

Hi, I have 5 hybrids who are fantastic egg laying machines, so much so that we have a great demand for their eggs what with my cake business and selling to neighbours. 1 a day each without a miss! That is until this week! The last 3 days one has been missing, and I'm not sure why or which one it is. They have only been laying for a year and I was under the impression that they would lay for at least 2. We are just about to get another 5 POL hens this weekend as we need more eggs, thinking 10 a day would be great. However, do you think this is just a blip or do they just suddenly stop? What reasons could there be for stopping? Do I need to do anything? So many questions! Any advice welcome, if this is the end of the laying then maybe I should get more then 5 more hens!! (By the way I know chickens are more than egg machines and I love them dearly so no question of getting rid! We intend on making a retirement home but thought they would be older then a year!!)

[good_egg]

They could all just be slowing down as it comes in to winter, perhaps it's a different one having a day off each time. If not standard questions apply - have you wormed with flubenvet, have you checked for lice and mites, do they all look healthy?

[zakjon-98]

I wouldn't worry as it sounds as if it could be just one hen. Being hybrids and only 1 they should lay for longer than a year and over winter usually. I agree about worming, mites etc and some people just find that one hen is not as good as the other for no apparent reason sometimes. Hope the laying is back to normal soon

[smartrus]

Thanks guys, I will worm them asap. All look healthy so Im hoping they will pick up soon. How often do they moult? Could this be a reason, Im not exactly sure if they are but they often have the downy feathers sticking out! (as you can tell, I am still learning!)

[Sue]

All birds change their feathers at least once a year, normally between August and October. This is called THE MOULT and one by one each feather drops out and is replaced by a new one - this is when a chicken becomes a hen.

 

They will not have the energy to produce the normal quantity of eggs and grow new feathers, so egg production will fall off, or even stop, and shell quality will deteriorate

 

When a chicken is growing it changes its feathers 3 times before getting its full correct plumage and is ready to lay, and if this happens around the end of the summer it won't need to change its feathers again till the following late summer/autumn. So they are usually around 18 to 20 mths old at the first moult.

 

This is why "battery hens" when cleared out will have so few feathers, and after a few weeks look totally different. As they enter their first moult the farmer will not wish to be feeding non productive hens for the 6-12 weeks it will take them to come back into production, plus their initial injections (normally effective for only around 18mths) will need topping up, and so the flock is replaced with new POL, giving chance to deep clean the housing.

 

If your girls are hybrids they will probably still lay a few, though shells may be weak and then once refeathered will be back to full lay, normally giving slightly fewer, though larger eggs, plus the shells will never be quite the same quality as the first season eggs.

 

Heavy traditional breeds they will probably hold off lay till the daylight hours begin to increase again.

 

This is when people choose to buy in extra POL who will continue the egg cycle.

[JanTheDiver]

My old hen (3.5 years) is moulting for the first time. She has always been a good layer but only lays about once every 6-8 weeks now, I have put that down to old age but may be something to do with moulting.

 

I have another one who is only 1.5 years old and she is having a little moult for the first time and her eggs have become a bit intermittent i.e. two days of eggs then a day off, she used to be about 6 days laying before a day off.

 

I think if they are moulting you will see a drop off in egg production but once they are fully feathered again it will start up again.

 

Mine are all hybrids and they do slow down with the laying during the winter but they don't stop totally; I still get enough to keep me ticking over.

[smartrus]

Thanks for that really useful info . I am pretty sure that is exactly what is happening to my chickens! I have just been down to see them and have a word! I have found clues which I think explains a few things

1. there are feathers in the run, quite a lot in fact.

2. I found a soft shelled egg under the roost.

3. I found the remains of egg white in the run which looks to me like they have eaten the rest!

All this points to the moult you describe don't you think? You guys sure know your stuff!

So plan of action: I will worm them, put in a bit more grit, get more POL's and wait!

[Lavenders_Blue]

Feathers in the run is your big clue! The hen who is moulting will have gone off lay, hence the drop in egg production. When she has regrown all her new feathers and built herself up a little bit she will start laying again. Don't be too impatient- it could be a couple of months before she comes back into lay again and she may not lay as regularly over the winter due to the shorter days. Come spring time, normal service should be resumed!

[smartrus]

Hurrah! Looking forward to that! I'm picking up 5 newbies tomorrow, hope we have a settled intro!

[WitchHazel]

If they are moulting then they will be needing protein, as feathers are all protein.

 

It's helpful to give them a tonic, such as Lifeguard, while they are moulting. I wouldn't particularly worm them while they are moulting ( unless you haven't wormed them for ages) as the moult is stressful and uncomfortable for them anyway.

 

Some people feed a bit of extra protein while their Girls are moulting - maybe some rinsed tuna, or cat food (but there are differing opinions about this).