ok.... So I have a CCL that hatched the middle of last April so 11 mo old. she has not laid a single egg yet.......
Back in Oct (days getting shorter and a lot of my girls were slowing down or stopping laying) she started to really check out the nest boxes was showing signs of being ready to lay with a bright red comb and wattles etc.... Then she started to really sit in the boxes for 1/2 hr to 2 hrs at a time. This went on for a few days and she never laid........ then she stopped one day and her comb and wattles went pink again.... So figured with shorter days it just messed her up........ she was fine and didn't really check out the nest boxes until around Jan/Feb but that was just going in here and there nothing big. Well then the end of Feb she went in again and had the red comb/Wattles, Would sit for hours in the nest boxes and I would run out after she left and.... nothing this went on for a few days to a week (don't remember exactly now). I went out one time and she was a bit puffed up (it was cold out but the others weren't) so wasn't sure if egg bound or cold so got some Calcium Citrate and gave her that. She didn't have the penguin stance, was eating, drinking running around other times..... same thing she just stopped going into the nest boxes or would go in and look around and scratch but not sit at all was a quick in and out....... ok so not egg bound and maybe where days were still short...... Oh and I know she was squatting this time since when I picked her up to give her the pill she squatted for me.
Fast forward to the last couple days and same thing........ In a nest box sitting for 1-2 house (Mon and Tue) but no egg........ She looked like maybe she was waddling a bit but was eating, drinking, running around no penguin stance, not puffed up etc. other than maybe a waddle (or I am imagining things) she seems perfectly fine.... I gave her a pill last night again just in case (I don't keep giving them but figured if she is struggling maybe it will help). Today she didn't go in the coop at all to even try to lay....... Oh and she squatted when I went to pick her up again this time.
Is there a problem or is she just not ready to lay? anything else I can look for? her vent looked a bit big last night when I looked (like not tiny and puckered) I haven't tried the epsom salt bath yet since she doesn't have the classic signs of egg bound so don't want to stress her out (and would have to do it in my house and it is still cool outside and no where safe to keep her in my house till she dries because of my cats and dog. If I absolutely HAD to give her a bath I could find somewhere to keep her). Should I keeping doing the Calcuim citrate pill for a few days? or no? Anything else to check or look for or do?????
Back in Oct (days getting shorter and a lot of my girls were slowing down or stopping laying) she started to really check out the nest boxes was showing signs of being ready to lay with a bright red comb and wattles etc.... Then she started to really sit in the boxes for 1/2 hr to 2 hrs at a time. This went on for a few days and she never laid........ then she stopped one day and her comb and wattles went pink again.... So figured with shorter days it just messed her up........ she was fine and didn't really check out the nest boxes until around Jan/Feb but that was just going in here and there nothing big. Well then the end of Feb she went in again and had the red comb/Wattles, Would sit for hours in the nest boxes and I would run out after she left and.... nothing this went on for a few days to a week (don't remember exactly now). I went out one time and she was a bit puffed up (it was cold out but the others weren't) so wasn't sure if egg bound or cold so got some Calcium Citrate and gave her that. She didn't have the penguin stance, was eating, drinking running around other times..... same thing she just stopped going into the nest boxes or would go in and look around and scratch but not sit at all was a quick in and out....... ok so not egg bound and maybe where days were still short...... Oh and I know she was squatting this time since when I picked her up to give her the pill she squatted for me.
Fast forward to the last couple days and same thing........ In a nest box sitting for 1-2 house (Mon and Tue) but no egg........ She looked like maybe she was waddling a bit but was eating, drinking, running around no penguin stance, not puffed up etc. other than maybe a waddle (or I am imagining things) she seems perfectly fine.... I gave her a pill last night again just in case (I don't keep giving them but figured if she is struggling maybe it will help). Today she didn't go in the coop at all to even try to lay....... Oh and she squatted when I went to pick her up again this time.
Is there a problem or is she just not ready to lay? anything else I can look for? her vent looked a bit big last night when I looked (like not tiny and puckered) I haven't tried the epsom salt bath yet since she doesn't have the classic signs of egg bound so don't want to stress her out (and would have to do it in my house and it is still cool outside and no where safe to keep her in my house till she dries because of my cats and dog. If I absolutely HAD to give her a bath I could find somewhere to keep her). Should I keeping doing the Calcuim citrate pill for a few days? or no? Anything else to check or look for or do?????
