Hen not laying after new chickens added....

[xx4truexx]

I have two 1 year old Black Sexlinks and two 5 month old pullets. I started letting the youngsters free range with the older ladies once they got bigger and I have been putting them in the coop at night with the older ladies. I separate them by putting the younger ones in a cat carrier so the big girls don't pick on the little ones to much as they are still getting to know each other and so they can get used to all of them being in the coop together at night. During the day they spit off into two little groups and the big ones often chase the small ones around the yard, but the small ones are faster so they can get away. The problem is that since I have put them together in the coop at night it seems that my best egg laying Sexlink has stopped laying. I have looked around the yard and can not find any eggs. The other hen is still laying in the nest box. I have found two soft shelled eggs with no yolk in them, so I figured maybe she needed more calcium. I added more oyster shell to her food. Still nothing, it has be a little over 2 weeks now and only the one lays eggs the others are still to young. She seems fine, and her vent is clear. She has also seemed to start sleeping in the nest box at night rather than on the roost lake usual... She does seem to have a small scab on her foot I think might be bumble foot which we are going to tackle tonight. Could that have anything to do with it. It is not big or swollen at all. Any help or opinions would be appreciated!

 

[Nutcase]

I have two 1 year old Black Sexlinks and two 5 month old pullets. I started letting the youngsters free range with the older ladies once they got bigger and I have been putting them in the coop at night with the older ladies. I separate them by putting the younger ones in a cat carrier so the big girls don't pick on the little ones to much as they are still getting to know each other and so they can get used to all of them being in the coop together at night. During the day they spit off into two little groups and the big ones often chase the small ones around the yard, but the small ones are faster so they can get away. The problem is that since I have put them together in the coop at night it seems that my best egg laying Sexlink has stopped laying. I have looked around the yard and can not find any eggs. The other hen is still laying in the nest box. I have found two soft shelled eggs with no yolk in them, so I figured maybe she needed more calcium. I added more oyster shell to her food. Still nothing, it has be a little over 2 weeks now and only the one lays eggs the others are still to young. She seems fine, and her vent is clear. She has also seemed to start sleeping in the nest box at night rather than on the roost lake usual... She does seem to have a small scab on her foot I think might be bumble foot which we are going to tackle tonight. Could that have anything to do with it. It is not big or swollen at all. Any help or opinions would be appreciated! 

Is the scab on the sole of her foot? If so it could be bumblefoot but I doubt it is connected to the laying problem, especially if she is walking well and doesn't appear to be in any pain. Soft-shelled eggs can be a result of stress. Have you made sure that she is eating enough?

 

[xx4truexx]

Yes the scab is on the sole of her foot. It does not seem to bother her at all. She runs and acts like usual all besides the no egg part... She eats plenty, she chases the chicks away and then runs back to eat up some food. She always runs out when I bring treats like veggies and stuff. In other words she is acting like her old normal self just no eggs and she has been sleeping in the nest box at night.

 

[Nutcase]

Sounds like a late bloomer. The foot probably is not related to this at all. She will probably come round as she gets a bit older, don't you think?

 

[xx4truexx]

I hope she is just stressed cause of the new roommates or maybe the change of daylight starting, or the seasons are starting to change. She is my best egg layer, big huge brown eggs every day usually. She is my biggest chicken too. Big fat sassy lady I love her and hope she is okay, although she acts just fine so I am sure she is. She is tough!( she was once attacked a few months ago by a opossum and was ripped open pretty good. A tear about as long as my hand that we could lift up and see inside of her, was down her side under her wing. We wanted to take her to the vet but there were no vets in the area that would treat a chicken so we washed her out with hydrogen peroxide and put antibiotic ointment on it and super glued her shut and wrapped her up and kept her inside and dressed and drained her everyday and fed her and gave sugar water with antibiotics everyday until she healed up, once she was growing her feathers back she was let back out to free range, she did not miss a day of laying her eggs during that time even ripped open!) I am going to wait it out and watch her. I pick her up and check her vent and rub her belly every day just to feel that she is not all filled up or hard feeling on her belly, the scab on her foot seems smaller today. I will just keep an eye on her for now. Hopefully I will get my big eggs back!

 

[xx4truexx]

This is the chicken that will not lay right now.... Her name is Sweet. I just took this picture today.

 

[Nutcase]

Beautiful bird! If she has laid eggs before now, maybe she just needed a break for a little while... good luck!

 

[xx4truexx]

Well, it seems she has begun her first molt. That might have something to do with her not laying right now...