naked bellies, no mites. Molting?

[TipsyDog]

Just saw this thread. My chickens poop like that (first picture) often when its hot out. They drink more water and you'll get a poop looking like that. Be sure your layers have plenty of oyster shell and also, let the egg shells dry and crack them up and feed it back to them. Maybe that will help those soft shelled eggs you're getting.

I have a RIR that has always laid with a very weak shell - she's been like that for a year now. I think some chickens are just soft shell layers.

 

[newhenstein castle]

Thanks for all the input. They have been getting oyster shell and their own egg shells. But someone suggested grit? Wouldn' t they get what they need from the dirt? Anyway, I'll try it.


Also any insight on the bare bellies?

 

[CMV]

If your birds free-range or have an outside run they get plenty of grit. Do a Google search on "brood patches" and look at some of the images. That is what your birds have going on.

 

[newhenstein castle]

None of my hens who have the bare patches seem broody at all. No puffed-upness, no shrieks when I reach under their butts to check on eggs and no hanging around the nest longer than neccessary. I did check on the brood patches, thanks for the tip. But that alone just doesn't seem to be the right answer. Well, at this point everyone seems dandy. I get about two eggs a day and I just hope that they'll go back to normal soon.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I found a perfect although very enlongated, whiteish egg in the nest yesterday morning. I wanna say it's our patient's. Today there was nothing from her. So let's see what tomorrow brings!!!!!!!!! Just think, I almost took care of her!!

By the way, who said that chickens ONLY molt in fall??? I found numerous literature that said summer is the time for molting. This is my explaination for all the stuff going on in my lil' castle. (saying this with my fingers crossed)

Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[organicfoltzfamilyfarm]

There is an early molt and a late molt. Late molts are the best because they happen in the fall time. It all depends on when your chicks were born.

When were they born?

 

[newhenstein castle]

Quote:
They were born spring '09. I did have a few feathers last year just around the time they started laying (I don't remember what month, though).

My hens look fine otherwise. hmmm

 

[organicfoltzfamilyfarm]

Without referring to my book before I post this (correct me if I'm wrong) molts star in a pattern. The pattern is head, neck, body,wings,and tail.

When a molt takes place there shouldn't be any eggs from her. Their reproductive tract shrinks to the size of a young pullets. If they were born in the spring(April) you shouldn't be expecting a molt until about April-May. They say it happens after 8-9 months of production. Since your hens are getting closer to the molting time expect a drop in production.

The book also said that some breeds molt after 12 months of production. They are called the late molters. So as I'm sitting here thinking about it if they were born April 09 and started laying at 4-5 months that would make it Aug-Sept when they would have their molt at 12 months if they are late molters.

Hope I'm not confusing you

. It may be molt it may not. The only thing that will distinguish that is if a drop in production occurs.

Hope this nonsense helps

.

 

[newhenstein castle]

yeah, that was kinda - wow. But thanks for doing the math for me in the end. I have 4 hens and have only been getting 2 eggs and sometimes a soft shelled egg from the Australorp. (That troublemaker is back on track if I may say. She layed a perfect egg ( though still white and kind of loooong) 3 days ago and then none and today another quite all right egg, a little bumpy on one end again. But hey, she is really trying. So sad.

I will have to go to my byc page to double check when we bought the chicks and when they started laying. really hope that is it!! Thanks so much for the info.

 

[organicfoltzfamilyfarm]

OK so I took the info from your page.

B-day May 14th 09
First egg from Poulette November 24th 09

When molts could occur:

12 months from November 2009(first egg) would be November 2010.
So if they do have a molt in late November early December they are late molters.

8 or 9 months from November 2009 would be late August 2010 through late September.
They would be considered early molters.

So I think she may be going through a molt. It would make sense. Not everything is perfect.

I hope we can figure this out soon! It's going to bother me.

Megan

 

[chkn]

I think you have some kind of mite or lice problem with the bare bellies. Give their nesting area and coop a good scrub with some clorox water and soap (I dump diluted clorox on the earthen floors of my coop too), put some fresh straw down, and sprinkle everything and everybody with some poultry dust. You might want to give the soft egg layer some calcium directly, a crushed calcium supplement pill or tums, for a couple days. I'm finding I'm gonna have to do that with mine because they don't seem to really use up enough of the oyster shell, etc., to make those egg shells nice and hard.