Odd behaving 2 and a half year old hen

[Eli1977]

Hi guys as a new chicken owner I am not sure what's up with my sweet chicks. I got 5 hens for free from a friend some time ago. It's been really hot all summer but they seemed to be doing well until I started seeing the change in weight. They all lost a lot of weight and from nice fluffy big chickens became skinny but healthy behaving chicks. I was worried about them and read all the advice on here and on line. It was aparently possible worms. And I did see some very thin odd white strings in poop. So I coughed up the 50 bucks and bought valbazen dewormer and treated them. Egg withdrawal for 14 days etc. I even upped their protein intake and gave them cat food plus all kinds of veg and fruits. All this time they were all laying 5 eggs a day. Just before finding out they were ill we introduced a roo to the flock. And they seemed to get on just fine. When we treated them one black sexlink was just laying on the floor as if asleep but eyes wide open for hours. But after that she was fine. However now 4 weeks after treatment one of the black sex links sits in the nesting box every day for over an hour but she doesn't lay egg at all. We haven't changed their diet and on top of it we started to let them free range. I can't pinpoint which one is it that it's not laying because we have two that look exactly the same. But one of them has a droopy comb that I don't remember. But I am really not sure. Now I sometimes find a very small egg in the nesting box and I am very confused on who layed it. The eggs have gone down to either 3 or 4 a day. What is going on???? Pls help

 

[carlf]

Could be the heat, stress from heat reduces egg production.
Also, 3-4 eggs per day from 5 hens is perfectly normal production. Dont expect an egg every day, they arent machines.

 

[Eli1977]

Thank you Carl, so is it normal for a hen to sit in the nesting box and not lay an egg? She always screams her head off so I am always running to look at the monster that she layed but no egg.

 

[Eli1977]

I thought the heat could be the culprit of the weight loss as well, or maybe the roo might be too much for her

 

[carlf]

I think the weight loss was a worm issue.
Hens sometimes stop producing but still have the urge to lay. Should not be anything to worry about.
As long as they are feeding, gaining their weight back and not looking pale, should be ok. But keep an eye on the poops for worms.
Check them for mites.