chezr90 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hi everyone, We have had 4 hens and a cockerel for a couple of months now (2 gold laced orpingtons and 3 Marsh daisys) They have been a joy to have and they have been a steady supply of gorgeous eggs. We got them a plastic house 2 weekends ago and transferred them in and since they have stopped laying. Does any one have any ideas? Also my favourite (Marge- the orpington hen) has taken to sitting on the ground for hrs at a time and them moving to another spot an sitting for another length of time. Her bum is larger than usual (orpingtons have 'pooofey' bums anyway) she is usually very active and always runs up to you when you go up to see them but she is very larthrgic and I'm starting to get worried now. Please if anyone can think of the reason/solution I could try I would be very grateful. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Does she have a swollen vent area, or does her tummy feel swollen? Could she have an egg stuck in the oviduct? She could just be hot, my girls are sitting a lot at the moment but other than the sitting, is she eating? Drinking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezr90 Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 I will check her this morning but she has been eating a little but nothing like her usual appetite and I haven't seen her drinking but she is sat by the drinker sometimes so id like to think she was. An odd question, but if she does have an egg stuck how do I get it out? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=31430 check the above link and there is a wealth of advice if you click egg bound in the above right hand search bar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi Chezr90. Marsh Daises are lovely natured hens and lay quite well too. Your Orpington may have sour crop. They are little piggies and sometimes the crop doesn't clear fully and the stuff left in goes 'off'. Her crop would feel warmer than the others, her poos would be slimy. Sometimes their breath will smell. In which case restrict her to water only for 24-48 hours. Massage the crop regularly. The idea is to work through all the bad stuff. When her crop is empty and cool she can go back onto food. You will need to isolate her during this process. A dog cage is handy for that. As Gavclojak says, she may be egg bound. But the early sigs of that are frequent trips to the nest box. They will have stopped laying because they don't like the change of coop. They won't lay until they feel secure, so I would expect no eggs for two weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezr90 Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thankyou for your advice and i will let you know I get on with her. Fingers crossed for the next couple of days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
