hen pecking and not laying problems

[bigbird]

I have 4 large hens. All 4 of them were laying until about a week ago. Then, they all stopped. They have free range of oyster shell and eat layer mash, vegetables and fresh fruit. They all started sneezing fo two days ago I put them on tetramyacin (sp?) and they seem to be doing better. I also have noticed that two of the 4 hens have lost the feathers from the tip of their tail to the back of their neck. It is only two and doesn't look like a molt to me. I bought some tea tree oil , mixed it with water, and have been spraying it on their back daily for about 5 days. I do not see any improvement with this solution. I am so new to this and any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Judy]

On the pecking, go to Index, FAQ, then scroll down for links to some good threads on this.

The sneezing could be anything from irritation from dust to a serious respiratory disease. This link will give you a lot of information on respiratory diseases: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=15239

Most any kind of stress can stop laying, as will a moult. Perhaps if you can solve the pecking problem, this will also solve the laying problem.