Help! Non laying Light Sussex

[ellahere]

Tweety is now 9 months old and has a large, red comb. She is a good weight and well-feathered, with healthy-looking feet. She is in a mixed flock of 6 chickens.

However, she has never 'come into lay' and does not hunker down when you try to pick her up - she's never in fact done this. She will sit for a half hour or so each morning in the coop, but with no results.

OK - so, she is not broody and is definitely a wide female with an (I guess?) moist vent. What could be causing this? Is she a 'non-layer' and should I simply cook her for dinner one night??!!

No other signs of ill-health - she runs for her food, eats and drinks well, and poops normally (slightly messy butt, she has a lot of feathers). I add louse powder to the wooden coop weekly and have never seen evidence of red mite or lice on any of my birds. The nest box has pine shavings in it. Other hens are laying well and she's not laying elsewhere in the garden as she is too chubby to fly/escape out of the enclosure.

The only possible hints of anything wrong are:
- slightly messy feathers around her vent, soiled
- reddish skin underneath her body? Could this indicate a prolapse? I've no idea? Surely a hen would be in worse condition?

Any ideas anyone? I am reluctant to keep a hen that's not laying, but she does not seem ill and surely would have more 'laying' in her as she is so young.

 

[CMV]

I would give her a bit more time. I had an EE that was 10 months old before she started laying. Tweety is making all the noises like she is going to start laying soon- red comb, messing about in the nesting area...

Is she eating a good-quality layer pellet feed?

 

[ellahere]

Yes she is - good quality layers pellets. Today I found a whole load of lice on the chicken she hangs out with most. I have dusted everywhere with louse powder and will go and check in the farm shop to see if there is anything else to use for treatment.
Another hen, who is only 5 months, is now trying to lay today - so may beat Tweety to it...

 

[CMV]

If you have a bug problem in the house then this could explain why Tweety is not laying. You need to treat all the birds and their coop. And then you need to do it all again in 7-10 days. A heavy bug load would explain why she is not laying yet.

 

[subhanalah]

I would try fermented feed as well. It will help with the gut problems associated with stress from an infestation.

 

[ellahere]

The answer was, for those out there who like to know, that Tweety is in fact a cockerel. I caught 'her' doing the dirty on the lawn today with one of the other hens. Tweety will now be known as Mr T, and will be dispatched shortly. The weird thing is, this bird has no large comb and no large tail feathers at all. Just looks like a fat bird with slightly heavier wattles than the others. Honestly, you think you know what you are doing with chickens and then. I didn't hatch this one myself, she/he came from a farm as a sexed pullet.

 

[CMV]

Oops. I hate when that happens. Well, Mr. T will make a great meal or two.

 

[subhanalah]

The answer was, for those out there who like to know, that Tweety is in fact a cockerel. I caught 'her' doing the dirty on the lawn today with one of the other hens. Tweety will now be known as Mr T, and will be dispatched shortly. The weird thing is, this bird has no large comb and no large tail feathers at all. Just looks like a fat bird with slightly heavier wattles than the others. Honestly, you think you know what you are doing with chickens and then. I didn't hatch this one myself, she/he came from a farm as a sexed pullet.

just because it is apparently mating another hen does not mean that it's a rooster. I guess you'll find out when you butcher.