2 year old Hen- Only laid six eggs this year.... Help!

[Parront]

Best wishes for Ruby.

 

[Peace Love Hens]

I am sorry your Ruby has this issue. Since it is fall now, with the days getting shorter, laying slows down, and that could help her. Laying is not good for her. Maybe she can recover on her own, since it has gone on for such a long time. But, trouble walking and getting on a roost is a bad symptom. Home remedy: keep her in an isolation cage with low amount of daylight, winter all the time for her! No new eggs, and maybe her system can absorb all the internal eggs.
My vet said some Parrot owners get shots to keep the birds from laying. The reproductive tract in a layer is so large, that she said they can not remove it. She is an Avian Specialist, I believe her.

I will try the isolation idea, but will she be lonely? Good stuff to know. Thanks for all of your help, Parront!!

 

[Parront]

Yes, she will be lonely for her flock. But, the other hens might pick on a sick one, that would be worse. It will be extra work for you to try to save her. Only you can decide how much care to lavish on your birds! If she is not being picked on, you could take her into a dark cage at 7pm, let her out at 7am. That is what I do with Dylan the parrot! She gets only 12 hours of light, and no more eggs since. Your results may vary!
Since she is not perching, it might not be too different than what you already do.

 

[Peace Love Hens]

Honestly, if it were my chicken I'd put her down and end her suffering. It seems that once a problem like internal laying starts, it can be chronic. It is, of course, your choice if you want to take her to a vet (if you can find one). I wouldn't. It's not practical for me to spend hundreds of dollars on a chicken that may need special cares for the rest of its life when I can replace said chicken for under $50. I know that sounds harsh, but it's my reality. My chickens are in the livestock category rather than pets. Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is the kindest thing for our animals.

I definitely see your point on that. I had another pet, guinea pig, who basically starved herself because her molars overgrew and we took her to the vet, but it was too late. We also lost another pet this year to a cancerous tumour and I'm not sure how much more I can take. Rubi (Yes, I spell it with an I) is an extremely precious chicken to me because I train her. She has trained with me for two years and I have developed a very special bond with her. I have some links below of what she has been taught:

 

[Peace Love Hens]

Yes, she will be lonely for her flock. But, the other hens might pick on a sick one, that would be worse. It will be extra work for you to try to save her. Only you can decide how much care to lavish on your birds! If she is not being picked on, you could take her into a dark cage at 7pm, let her out at 7am. That is what I do with Dylan the parrot! She gets only 12 hours of light, and no more eggs since. Your results may vary!
Since she is not perching, it might not be too different than what you already do.

Cool. I will see about potentially making this happen. Wow! So many suggestions, IDK where to start!! What a good problem to have.

 

[Peace Love Hens]

African Grey Parrots live many years. I hopefully bought another 40 years for my pet. Sadly, chickens lives are much shorter. She might only live 1-2 years, in the best case, no matter what a vet does.

Thanks for this. Yeah, that makes sense. Should I at least see my vet to see if there might be something to make her feel better and keep her feeling good?

 

[Peace Love Hens]

Best wishes for Ruby.

Thanks. Your suggestions have been invaluable.

 

[Parront]

I definitely see your point on that. I had another pet, guinea pig, who basically starved herself because her molars overgrew and we took her to the vet, but it was too late. We also lost another pet this year to a cancerous tumour and I'm not sure how much more I can take. Rubi (Yes, I spell it with an I) is an extremely precious chicken to me because I train her. She has trained with me for two years and I have developed a very special bond with her. I have some links below of what she has been taught:

Very cute video. You probably should not give her anything for treats except layer pellets. Laying problems can be nutritional.

 

[Peace Love Hens]

Agree with the above posts as well. It's all up to you. Poultry vets can spay a hen in emergencies but if she's just a pet and won't be used for showing or anything then it's probably best letting her go. I understand that's really hard when they're pets but there are lots more hens needing homes out there. Goodluck whatever your choice may be

Thanks. This is a really hard decision. I'll let you know the outcome. Meanwhile, I need to talk to my parents and figure out what to do. If she does end up passing, then I would surely give a hen in need a home.

 

[Peace Love Hens]

Very cute video. You probably should not give her anything for treats except layer pellets. Laying problems can be nutritional.

Great! I'd been wondering that. She really hates being trained with anything but high-quality food. Should I stop training her? She has a specific call that she uses to tell me "TRAIN MEEEEE!" it's really funny. Kind of like "Awwk, awwk, awwk awwk. AWWK!" Or at least I'm assuming that that is what she uses it for.