4 birds; 3 eggs?

[nicklegoose]

I have four birds, all have been consistently laying an egg a day. Every so often I would get a three egg day. I have now had four or five straight three egg days, so I figure one of the old gals is having a problem with her do-hickey. How can I determine which is not layin and the reason for why?

Thanks

 

[gritsar]

There could be several reasons one of your hens isn't laying, besides having trouble with her do-hickey.
How old are they? What is their diet?
Your hen could be going into a moult, even though it's kinda the wrong time of year for that. She could also be going broody.
To check if she's egg bound, feel low in the belly behind the pelvis and towards the vent. See if you feel a mass there. Also check for discharge from the vent.

 

[nicklegoose]

Without segregating the girls, which is impractical for me, any ideas on how I determine which one is not giving up the goods?

 

[nicklegoose]

The girls are about 18 months old, although I am not 100% sure as I got them after they were laying. They eat a full layer ration (pellets), and also get scratch mixed in. The regularly get kitchen garden scraps as well as crushed egg shells(thier own).

 

[patandchickens]

Doesn't have to be one hen ceasing completely -- it could also be several or all of them slowing down *just a bit*. For instance each of them could be taking one day off every few days, with it just happening to have come out to 3 eggs per day each day so far.

What gritsar said about examining them for discernible signs of do-hickey-related problems.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[gritsar]

Eighteen months old sounds about right for a moult.
You can still check for eggbound, but I'd bet on a moult or like Pat said, a temporary slowdown.
Are you noticing more feathers than usual on the coop floor?