- Aug 7, 2016
- 5
- 0
- 67
Hello All,
This is my first post and I'm at a real loss on what to do here. I have a large coop we call the “Taj maHen” (Taj Mahal) which has 8 nesting boxes. It looks like a small backyard shed. I also have an open run in the back that my girls have free reign in. We have 2 RI Reds (2 yrs old), 1 Black Star (1.5 yrs old), 1 Fog Horn (1.5 yrs old), 2 Malaysians (10 months). All of my chickens were laying until we brought the Malays in about 3 months ago. The Malays gets picked on because they are the smallest of the 6 but overall, they aren’t being picked off.
It’s been hot up here in New England this summer and I found a mite infestation in the coop so I cleaned it out and DE’d everything. At that same time, one of the Malays I noticed was broody not wanting to leave the nesting box which caused a lot of mess and a cranky chicken and she was also looking kind of mangy. I blocked off the nesting boxes and switched them up however… all of my girls aren’t laying at all and I’m at a loss why. They have layer feed, clean water and free-choice oyster shell. I thought it was b/c of overcrowding, but it appears not to be the case. They also come out and free range in the afternoon and dust bathe. I have wood shavings on the floor of the coop – should I switch those out for sand until winter?
Any advice on what’s going on?
This is my first post and I'm at a real loss on what to do here. I have a large coop we call the “Taj maHen” (Taj Mahal) which has 8 nesting boxes. It looks like a small backyard shed. I also have an open run in the back that my girls have free reign in. We have 2 RI Reds (2 yrs old), 1 Black Star (1.5 yrs old), 1 Fog Horn (1.5 yrs old), 2 Malaysians (10 months). All of my chickens were laying until we brought the Malays in about 3 months ago. The Malays gets picked on because they are the smallest of the 6 but overall, they aren’t being picked off.
It’s been hot up here in New England this summer and I found a mite infestation in the coop so I cleaned it out and DE’d everything. At that same time, one of the Malays I noticed was broody not wanting to leave the nesting box which caused a lot of mess and a cranky chicken and she was also looking kind of mangy. I blocked off the nesting boxes and switched them up however… all of my girls aren’t laying at all and I’m at a loss why. They have layer feed, clean water and free-choice oyster shell. I thought it was b/c of overcrowding, but it appears not to be the case. They also come out and free range in the afternoon and dust bathe. I have wood shavings on the floor of the coop – should I switch those out for sand until winter?
Any advice on what’s going on?
