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Not molting is one of the reasons why pullets can start laying in the autumn and lay all through the winter. Next year your hens will molt in August or September, and need almost two months to grow in their feathers. You'll start seeing eggs again by February. BTW, the poorest layers molt first...

You're sure they don't have wounds? Have you picked them up and looked carefully? (for those interested, I have a video that shows how to pick up a hen and examine the vent area here: http://hencam.com/faq/handling-and-picking-up-your-hens/ A bit old for coccidia, but blood in the manure is a...

Vetch is a green vine type plant often found in pastures in New England. If consumed in large doses on an empty stomach, (as happened with my Buffy) it can be toxic to hens. Cows love it. As far as what to feed - there's a lot of opinions out there and a lot of folk lore and misinformation. What...

Patience! :) Your pullets are old enough to safely eat laying hen feed, but why not wait for the first egg to give the younger ones a bit of time to catch up. You can put out oyster shell free choice now. I use a rabbit feed hopper which keeps it tidy and there's no waste. See a photo of that...

If a soft-shelled egg happens once it's not a big deal, but it can cause big problems, like internal impactions and infections, and also cause egg eating to start. I have a feeling that your pullet needs a much better diet. Egg shells are almost all calcium, and eggs a mostly protein. She need...

I had a very good laying hen that lost her feathers on her neck like that. It was always a sign that she was laying. After molt they'd all grow back in, then she'd lose them again. But, look for other causes. Are the hens rubbing the feathers off putting their heads through a fence? Is there...

It might be vent gleet, which is a yeast infection. It can be alleviated with a bath and providone. I've written about that here (along with other messy butt issues.) http://hencam.com/faq/Yuck-My-Chickens-Have-Messy-Bottoms/

Yes, it's a prolapse. Have you separated her from the flock? The other hens will peck her to death if they see it. I successfully kept a prolapse back in using honey - not only is it sticky and has natural antibacterial components, but it's hydrophobic - it pulls out moisture and keeps the air...

You could combine them now as none of them are fully mature. If they are penned, make sure you have enough space (minimum of 8 square feet per bird, and another 4 square feet inside.) I think that outside roosts go a long way to alleviating stress. Make sure the feeders and waterers aren't in...

Broody hens not only have a higher body temp, but they pull out their breast feathers so that their hot skin will have direct contact with their eggs. You can stop a hen from being broody by putting her in an anti-broody coop. Directions here: http://hencam.com/faq/the-broody-hen/

Layers can eat chick feed, but chicks can't eat layer feed. If you can give your older birds access to oyster shell where the chicks won't be interested in it, that'd be great. I give mine oyster shell free choice out of a rabbit feeder. Quite tidy and no waste. You can see that here as well as...

How much pelleted food they eat depends very much on what else they have access to. If they're free ranging they'll get about half their intake from what they find. But, it's good to offer free choice pellets during the day and make sure that they have a full crop going to roost at night. It...

There are many, many things that could be happening. Does she free range? She might be hiding the eggs. Has she gone broody? Is there a new stress? Some hens stop laying if a predator is lurking. Or eating the eggs? As long as she looks fine I wouldn't worry, but, I too would want to know where...

I've had chickens for almost 20 years in a backyard setup. I've never had to worm. Every few years I have the vet run a fecal on the hens and it shows that I've never had a problem. I've also done necropsies on hens and have never seen signs of internal parasites. I prefer not to use chemicals...

Hi - I'm the HenCam person :) If you think she's gotten into something toxic, then dose with epsom salts (1 teaspoon epsom salts to 1 ounce water) and also give her an epsom salt bath. It's a detoxifier. I have info here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2011/02/the-epsom-salt-cure/

That one hen is going to be stressed, but it will all sort itself out IF you manage the situation and they have enough space to figure out the pecking order without being crowded. I have a FAQ about this here: http://hencam.com/faq/introducing-new-hens/ In your case I just might try the...

When your hens and youngsters free-range it's all less of a worry! A short time on the grower is fine. Just double-check that it's not medicated. A friend bought some feed at TS and it wasn't until she read the fine print that she discovered it was medicated (and she was quite upset as the eggs...

You're right to be concerned about the fake bricketts ash. Don't use it. It's filled with bad chemicals. When chickens dust bathe, they do an innate behavior where they ingest some of the dirt. You don't want them eating that stuff! My chickens have loose dirt in the pen that they dust bathe in...

The full-grown hens can eat the chick food, but the chicks can't eat the layer food because of the higher calcium content. Calcium can be offered free-choice to the flock. I use a hopper up off the ground. Tidy, not wasteful, and the chicks will ignore it. You see a photo of that here, along...

It sounds like your hens have a great life. BTW, the huge commercial egg facilities don't use white leghorns, or at least not what you find in the mail order hatcheries that we use. The corporations have developed their own production birds and the genetics are closely guarded. In the 1930s the...