Solitary chicken - need advice

[SarahGlymond]

My girls have always been good layers two chickens = 2 eggs a day until about October time and they just stopped. Both chickens have molted and Elizabeth top chick is still growing her last few feathers back.

I have had a lot of no shell eggs but thought it was because they have stopped eating the grit for what ever reason. I have tried putting grit in the food no also limestone flour to supplement their diet I got two eggs very thin shells on Christmas the first in ages ! None since

I always clean my eglu out once a week usually on a Sunday and the best box every morning when I let my girls out as they sleep in the best box but (and I'm not proud and now kicking my self) they got left a few days longer than normal for cleaning out.

When I did them on Monday( probably a week over due ) there seamed to be this dust on the plastic roosting bars and if I look at my chickens feathers near the root and on their skin there is like white flecks.

 

I have looked and can't see any eggs or mites where would I be looking in the house on the chooks if so which bit of my chook ??

Could it just have been dirt I'm really confused as to why they aren't laying and i don't know if they have mites

They go to bed ok and seem settled I have looked at night to see if I can see anything but still no joy

 

Any advice is welcome I have had my chooks for 3 years now and they have never not laid for this long I'm worried I'm failing my birds

[Cat tails]

I'm no expert on hybrid chickens, but 3 years of laying is a good long time understand from the people on this forum. They might be at the end of their laying time and hence taking a longer period of not laying. I also read somewhere that shell-less and soft-shelled eggs are no exception during a moult.

 

If you are worried about parasites, you can always treat them with a lice powder or spot on treatment.

[mullethunter]

The white dust is the dander coming off their new feathers. Definitely nothing to worry about. Egg laying will take a while to get going again and I agree with Cattails - at their age they may be slowing down anyway.

[gavclojak]

You may also see white dander/skin in there poo if they are moulting....I was sure one of mine had tapeworm as I saw lots of white dots in the poo but on closer inspection I'm sure it's dander.

[SarahGlymond]

Thankyou ladies your making me feel loads better I love my chooks and hate to neglect them cleaning wise I thought disaster had struck !!!! I did sprinkle powder in the house and on the chooks to make sure I was covering all bases gonna leave it while Friday and then spring clean it in winter !!!! I'll be freezing as I always cover my self with the hose pipe but better to be safe than sorry x

[SarahGlymond]

Never even heard of dander before !!!

[gavclojak]

Never even heard of dander before !!!

Hen dandruff:)

[SarahGlymond]

[Beantree]

I've never heard of 'dander' before either Sarah? We refer to the bits as feather 'sheath'. It encloses the feathers as they grow through the skin and then dries. At that point it is either preened off or it may break off as they soil bathe allowing the feather to open out. Often bits are seen stuck to the wet surface of poo in the coop, having fallen off using preening at night. Sometimes they eat it and watery poo results, as it doesn't seem to digest.

 

Could be your hens are at the end of their laying life? Just giving extra Calcium grit won't help without extra phosphorous and most importantly vitamin D. With little sunlight now they may be vitamin D deficient? There is a product that vets prescribe called 'Zolcal D' I think, which may be worth trying? If it's any consolation we have had several softies in the last week from hens that are definitely not at the end of their laying life. An alternative is a little (0.5mL maximum) cod liver oil every day although there should be some in the pellet feed anyway, if it is good quality.

[Olly]

Dander is a very commonly used term, I'm surprised you haven't come across it in other contexts if not in relation to hens.

 

Personally I wouldn't spend money on supplements, it's most likely that at three years old your hens are reaching the end of their laying life - hybrids normally slow down after about 18 months which is why commercial hens are replaced before then. They may lay again when the days get longer and when they've fully recovered from moulting but it may only be intermittent. I have had a hen go on laying till six or so but that's unusual, and if they are 'spent' then no amount of supplements will change that. I usually have at least one retired hen in my flock.