NON emergency question.

[8675309j]

We have had chickens since chicks for just over a year. So we survived a winter. We lost 1 for no apparent reason back in Feb. And swapped a Rooster for Hen but now this is a first. One of our girls which had lights on them over the winter (wont do that again) has stopped laying going on about a month now. I have 3 a Buff Orpington the most consistent easy going of them, a Buff Brahma who recently shed some tail and leg\feet feathers and regrew taking a break from laying for a month as well but resumed a week or so ago and a wellsummer who appears to be going through the same thing as the BB went through. She isn't nearly as full as she normally looks and her face appears to be bringing in more feathers as well as around her vent. She turns into the coop about an hour earlier then the other 2 and we believe she is a full year older than the youngins (she was a trade) When we got her late in the summer she looked like she does now, not as full and smaller. She isn't as friendly but is eating and drinking like a hog. I have checked for lice, worms etc and have not seen anything. Everything I ready about egg production breaks indicates parasites or molt. This is a pic of her vent area that I just got tonight. We do treat food and areas with DE from time to time. Right now the other 2 are laying daily or every other.

Can anyone weigh in? Is it normal for them to partially molt tail and vent area feathers and for it to disrupt egg production?

 

[gander007]

We have had chickens since chicks for just over a year. So we survived a winter. We lost 1 for no apparent reason back in Feb. And swapped a Rooster for Hen but now this is a first. One of our girls which had lights on them over the winter (wont do that again) has stopped laying going on about a month now. I have 3 a Buff Orpington the most consistent easy going of them, a Buff Brahma who recently shed some tail and leg\feet feathers and regrew taking a break from laying for a month as well but resumed a week or so ago and a wellsummer who appears to be going through the same thing as the BB went through. She isn't nearly as full as she normally looks and her face appears to be bringing in more feathers as well as around her vent. She turns into the coop about an hour earlier then the other 2 and we believe she is a full year older than the youngins (she was a trade) When we got her late in the summer she looked like she does now, not as full and smaller. She isn't as friendly but is eating and drinking like a hog. I have checked for lice, worms etc and have not seen anything. Everything I ready about egg production breaks indicates parasites or molt. This is a pic of her vent area that I just got tonight. We do treat food and areas with DE from time to time. Right now the other 2 are laying daily or every other.

Can anyone weigh in? Is it normal for them to partially molt tail and vent area feathers and for it to disrupt egg production?

Alright you wrote a lot about everything but what you are feeding your flock ?????


Chickens need protein as egg's require a lot of protein to make ......

 

[8675309j]

They have layer feed provided all the time (they are locked in coop about 4 days a week with 4 or so hours of free range and then the rest of the week they free range all day. Depends on work schedule. They do get called back from time to time with scratch or meal worms. I offer some good veggie scraps but primarily its the layer pellets.

 

[gander007]

The meal worms are perfect and veggies

Remember every chicken takes a break every year to rest as it is hard on the chickens to lay an egg everyday ....

You might want to provide your chickens a little bit of something else ,, here is what I do I mix the layer feed and some turkey grow and a little cracked corn in a bucket with water and let it sit for one to three days and mix it all together and there is enough water to cover the feed as it ferments and this is great for the chickens ... But never put out so much that it will sit for a day and night as wet feed will mold and the mold is not good but wet feed last longer and less waste the fermented feed will be absorbed better by the chickens .....




1. Protein
2. Grains
3. Greens
4. Grit
5. Calcium
6. Vitamins A and D
7. Salt
8. Water Water and more Water ....

Chickens should have all of this in the diet .....

 

[8675309j]

Well I hope its just a break as I did put lights on them this winter to keep up production I don't think I will do that next year.

 

[cafarmgirl]

When you say you checked for worms how exactly did you check? You can't rely only on visually inspecting their poop because they can carry a lot of worms before showing worms or eggs in their poop. The only way to really check is to have a fecal sample tested and even those can come back with false negatives. If you have never dewormed them I'd suggest doing so. This may well be related to her going through a light molt, but I'd certainly want to rule out parasites as well.

 

[8675309j]

We use DE. Isnt that a natural de wormer??

 

[dawg53]

We use DE. Isnt that a natural de wormer??

DE will not prevent nor treat worms. Purchase safeguard liquid goat wormer and dose all your birds 1/2cc orally, repeat again in 10 days.

 

[cafarmgirl]

No, DE will not deworm your birds despite all the claims of it's miraculous powers.