No egg yet....

[Stemmerzgurl]

I got my chickies around April. I have 3 silkies and 1 buff. My silkies are... were laying til they went broody:/ but my buff has yet to lay. When she became of age to lay, she began molting and has been molting ever since. I haven't seen an egg from her since i got her. My silkies lay small eggs so its easy to tell the eggs apart. Is it normal for her to go straight into molting without beginning egg production? Is there anything i can do to help her out with her slow start? What are the best feed options for her during this time? I know shes a hen cause she doesn't have any traits to show shes a rooster. Its my first year raising chickens so all this is pretty new to me. Thanks for the help!

 

[Wyandottes7]

I don't think that it is normal for a hen to molt before laying eggs. However, it can happen if the bird is stressed out. Has anything like a predator attack, sickness, etc, affected your birds? Or, have they ever been without food or water for twenty four hours or so? Stresses like these can make a chicken go into a "forced molt".

Normal layer feed will be fine. If you want to give her extra protein, you can also feed her game bird food. Mealworms, wet cat food, and eggs, given as treats, will also give her more protein and help her grow her feathers in. Sunflower seeds can make her feathers shiny and healthy as well.

 

[Stemmerzgurl]

Thanks for the info! So she has always had food, i could see potential stress triggers, at least two...my two toddlers. My kids are actually nice and gentle but i am sure it can still be stressful at times for her. I also noticed a little while back(now that i recall) she had a "weird" episode where one day she was fine and the next day she was wobbly, tripping over her feet, falling over. She appeared dizzy or drunk like. There isn't anything poisonous in my yard, (unless potential neighbors throwing stuff in my yard or something which is unlikely) she would eat and drink and poop, but she looked like she was drunk so to say. It occurred for a day or two and then she was back to normal. There were no previous injuries that would cause this weird episode that i know of. Maybe that was stressful for her and cause the forced molt??? Do you know why she would do that weird behavior as well? My aunt whom has had chickens for years told me, oh yeah i have seen mine do that but i don't know what it is then they are fine, so she didn't help much. :/

 

[Wyandottes7]

Thanks for the info!

So she has always had food, i could see potential stress triggers, at least two...my two toddlers. My kids are actually nice and gentle but i am sure it can still be stressful at times for her. I also noticed a little while back(now that i recall) she had a "weird" episode where one day she was fine and the next day she was wobbly, tripping over her feet, falling over. She appeared dizzy or drunk like. There isn't anything poisonous in my yard, (unless potential neighbors throwing stuff in my yard or something which is unlikely) she would eat and drink and poop, but she looked like she was drunk so to say. It occurred for a day or two and then she was back to normal. There were no previous injuries that would cause this weird episode that i know of. Maybe that was stressful for her and cause the forced molt??? Do you know why she would do that weird behavior as well? My aunt whom has had chickens for years told me, oh yeah i have seen mine do that but i don't know what it is then they are fine, so she didn't help much.

I'm not sure, but the "dizziness" could have been caused by her hitting her head on something. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

 

[Stemmerzgurl]

Ok Thank you!