Lazy Hen Problem:
I have a chocolate orp that will be 2 years old next month. However she has been becoming progressively lazy over the past 6-8 months. It started with her becoming broody last fall and since then, she is either not roosting, or just sleeps in the nesting area (which is closer to the floor). Since the weather has been nicer I placed their water in the uncovered portion of the run and have noticed that unless its absolutely necessary, she won't even climb up and down the ladder to get to the water.
No signs of sickness
Poop is normal
No weight loss (in fact she is the heaviest orpington I have)
Toe nails are huge indicating lack of scratching activity for an extended period of time.
Tail is up on some days and down on others.
Lays jumbo eggs for couple of weeks in a row and then takes a break for a few weeks.
No signs of arthritis, she doesn't have a limp or any awkward gait. I am thinking she is depressed since I gave away her half brother last year. Do you guys think that's a possibility?
I would let her stay and be a freeloader but she is kind of mean to others. Unless she gets her act together, I will probably have to re-home her at the processing shop. She is free if someone thinks they have the time and energy to fix her issues.
It does happen. Could it be her weight that's making her "lazy"?
Cookie & Darth Layer both went through a depression stage. For Cookie it was when we rehomed all of her chicks at 10 days old. She kept to herself & was always in the dark, gloomy coop - where she used to have her chicks. Then she molted, & then it was winter. Didn't get eggs until late Jan. Of course 2 wks of laying & she went broody again. Since then, I've always made sure to keep 2 chicks until she decides it's time for them to leave.
Darth Layer's depression was more complex. It started with the absence of a roo who went to freezer camp. DL's low in peck order, so perhaps the roo gave her some positive attention. She also stopped laying for months when Cuddles - her other hatch mate- died. Two months after Cuddles died, we gave away "Prince" but held on to Mr Dummy. DL didn't lay from early May until September last year. Then she molted Nov- Jan. Every time there's any kind of change in the flock, she tends to get depressed for 1-3 weeks. The on & off egg behavior is what we see in DL. She's the sweetest hen & you can probably tell by now that she's a pet. She just seems more sensitive than the others. She doesn't get "lazy" like avoiding climbing ladders, but she does hang out by herself & acts less enthusiastic about things she normally enjoys.
By the way, do your orps go broody easily? For us, only Cookie has gone broody. (She makes up for the entire flock & is our go to gal for raising chicks.) Oopsie thought about it for a few weeks. I tried to encourage her, but didn't stick with it.