- Dec 9, 2011
- 16
- 0
- 75
I have nine laying hens and added four 10-week-old girls two months ago. Of the nine "adults", three are Buff Orpingtons who are approaching three years of age, while the other six are 17-month-old Red Stars and Black Austrolorps I raised as chicks last spring.
Last summer, we were getting 7-8 eggs per day from the 9 girls and their laying continued well through the winter, with an average of 5-7 eggs per day. HOWEVER... things have changed and I'm beginning to wonder if they'll ever pick up again! They went through a molt this spring, which would account for the initial drop off in eggs, but since then, I've gotten only a measly 1-3 eggs per day, but usually 2. The girls did develop a raspy cough about a month ago, and after spending hours researching on this site as well as talking to friends and feed store owners I know who raise chickens, I ended up giving them an antibiotic (Tetracycline) in their water for 14 days, followed by one day of Wazine and one day of Rooster Booster Multi Wormer five days later. (Call me a wimp, but I don't do injections!) The coughs have been gone for awhile now and although I've never seen worms in their feces, I though that as long as I was throwing away eggs from the antibiotic and they still weren't laying well, it was worth a try to deworm. The past few days, I have upped their protein and given them kefir and buttermilk to increase intestinal flora (post antibiotics). I'm researching ways to increase protein on a regular basis, as I thought maybe their 16% feed protein level isn't high enough for the intense Houston summers...
In addition to all of this, upon inspecting the girls, I have realized that several of them have pelvic bones which are very close together, signaling that they are not laying. Is it possible to bring these chickens back into a condition to lay again or are they "done" at such a young age? I realize that the three oldest girls are expected to slow down in production, but the others are only 17 months old, so I would hope to at least be getting regular eggs from them.
I would appreciate any and all advice y'all can give!
Thanks! : )
Last summer, we were getting 7-8 eggs per day from the 9 girls and their laying continued well through the winter, with an average of 5-7 eggs per day. HOWEVER... things have changed and I'm beginning to wonder if they'll ever pick up again! They went through a molt this spring, which would account for the initial drop off in eggs, but since then, I've gotten only a measly 1-3 eggs per day, but usually 2. The girls did develop a raspy cough about a month ago, and after spending hours researching on this site as well as talking to friends and feed store owners I know who raise chickens, I ended up giving them an antibiotic (Tetracycline) in their water for 14 days, followed by one day of Wazine and one day of Rooster Booster Multi Wormer five days later. (Call me a wimp, but I don't do injections!) The coughs have been gone for awhile now and although I've never seen worms in their feces, I though that as long as I was throwing away eggs from the antibiotic and they still weren't laying well, it was worth a try to deworm. The past few days, I have upped their protein and given them kefir and buttermilk to increase intestinal flora (post antibiotics). I'm researching ways to increase protein on a regular basis, as I thought maybe their 16% feed protein level isn't high enough for the intense Houston summers...
In addition to all of this, upon inspecting the girls, I have realized that several of them have pelvic bones which are very close together, signaling that they are not laying. Is it possible to bring these chickens back into a condition to lay again or are they "done" at such a young age? I realize that the three oldest girls are expected to slow down in production, but the others are only 17 months old, so I would hope to at least be getting regular eggs from them.
I would appreciate any and all advice y'all can give!
Thanks! : )
