Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
Internal laying can take a while to show. I can't give you an exact timeline, but maybe 1-2 months. I've had a few hens who've had it and I didn't notice until they completely stopped laying and it's been a while... Visually, she looks really healthy...
I've used them to prevent aggressive picking that draws blood. They are a pain to get on at first but they do work. Give it a shot, it might take care of the problem.
Clues, clues... This is helpful info. And wow, I might need to hear more about this camera tracking system, been looking at ways to track which hens lay which eggs for a long time now.
My thinking is now:
1) She might be starting to go broody and the hormones are making her lay less before she...
I've found eggs in some crazy places! Under nest boxes and inside feeders!
But if she's not hiding eggs then it is probably something else. What breed is she? And is her comb full and red (depending on breed) or does it look a little shrunken maybe?
Sounds like Pepper is just getting a bit older and Lucy is young and productive so pecking order is changing. I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as Pepper is still able to get away (which your coop + outdoor space looks like plenty for this). It might take a couple weeks.
But if Lucy...
They look like normal, healthy chickens to me, maybe just a bit on the heavy side. I have some show Orpingtons who are FAT girls and I've noticed the ones with particularly large abdomens seem to be more susceptible to heat stress that can lead to fatality.
Although that might not be as big of...
My guess is the first one is a Buff Orpington from a hatchery which isn't very careful about the recessive yellow leg gene. It's fairly common for it to pop up on occasion in BO's and her body type makes me lean in that direction. Plus they are far more common than Buff Rocks. The second chicken...
Has it fully absorbed it's yolk sac? If so then it was ready to hatch. Also, if it was able to get out of the shell on it's own that is already a very good sign.
Do you have a heat lamp? I would set up a tote box brooder (if you have one).
Sorry for your loss :(
The recommended minimum weight for hatching eggs is 52 grams. Any smaller and you're going to potentially have weaker chicks. But it's more than doable of course if he was mating the girls and they are fertile.
What I would do is make sure that the humidity doesn't get...
Alright so we've ruled out some things. Have you checked them for mites or other external parasites? Do poops look normal? Are the combs nice and full as they should be?
I'm sorry you're having such difficulties with your chickens :(
I know you're pretty convinced that the chickens are not laying outside - but is it possible for you to lock them up a week anyways just to be absolutely sure?
My second thought is that you might have an egg eater on your hands...
I have not had a good experience with crop bras, but that was with a BBW turkey who probably had other issues. Did you give her probiotics after the round of antibiotics? Antibiotics can cause diarrhea due to an imbalance in gut bacteria.
Also, what are the temperatures like in your area? Hot...
#1. Splash is two copies of the blue gene (a gene which dilutes black to grey). If your bird is bl+/bl+ (no dilution), then it leaves black feathers as they are, one copy (Bl/bl+) dilutes them to blue (grey color), and two copies (Bl/Bl) make splash (a light grey). So Moon is actually blue...
Unfortunately no. The barring gene from the Bielefelder will pass to both male and female offspring, making them look identical at hatch. To make a sex link cross, you need a solid colored male and a barred female.
You can expect chicks that look a lot like barred rocks, since the extended...