One chicken stopped laying

[Patoinsf]

One of my chickens has stopped laying she is 1-1/2 years old and had laid around five eggs a week until about 3 months ago. She is out of the coop with the other chickens and seems fine however she has plucked a lot of the feathers from her chest area. She does not seem to be broody as she is not staying in any of the nest boxes. She is a rhode island red as are her companions in the run. They have plenty of food, fresh water and get scraps and egg shells a few times a week. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Pat

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Patoinsf Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of her and the feather loss?
Were her eggs "normal"?
What does her poop look like?
Check her over well for any mites/lice, feel the abdomen for any bloat or feeling of fluid and see that her crop is emptying properly.

Feather loss to the breast could be from picking or she may be starting to molt since she is about 1 1/2 yrs old.

fwiw - consider offering oyster shell free choice as a calcium supplement in addition to the egg shells.

 

[Patoinsf]

• Can you post some photos of her and the feather loss?

Not great at photography but will try to get some

• Were her eggs "normal"?

Yes the same as the other eggs

• Check her over well for any mites/lice

I generally put lice powder in the coop area when I change the straw.

• Feel the abdomen for any bloat or feeling of fluid and see that her crop is emptying properly.

No Clue what you mean. I generally don’t go near them except to collect eggs, clean their coop daily and change bedding weekly.

• Consider offering oyster shell free choice as a calcium supplement in addition to the egg shells.

Will do

 

[Patoinsf]

 

[Patoinsf]

Hope the photos are ok and BTW thanks for taking the time to respond to my tread
Pat

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like she is being plucked by another chicken. Watch to see what is happening, especially during roosting time. It could be due to not enough roosting space, boredom and sometimes feather eating.

Provide them with some extra protein to give them a boost.

Photo#4 looks like she has Scaly Leg Mite - there are many treatment options to get rid of those. General care is to wash the legs in warm soapy water, gently scrub the legs with a soft brush the loosen the debris under the scales (mite poop), then apply some type of oil (A+D ointment, coconut oil, vaseline, castor oil, cooking spray, etc.) to smother the mites. The oil would need to be applied daily for a couple of weeks.

Treat the coop with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust. Check the hens for any lice/mites that may be on them as well - if you find any, treat with Permethrin as well. (Permethrin treatment will not kill the leg mites that are on the chicken).

When I ask about the abdomen - you would need to pick her up and feel her bottom toward the back end - see if it's distended, bloated, swollen or feels like it has fluid in it. You may have to compare her to another hen - LOL Any chance at all that she is laying eggs in a hidden nest somewhere?

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

 

[Patoinsf]

Wow thanks a million for such a comprehensive reply. I will follow the above advice as best I can over the next couple of weeks and let you know how I get on. When I got the chickens I built a cage about 30' x 20' and they are confined to that so no way eggs are being laid elsewhere. If she has mites does that imply that the others may also have them. I will check the dimensions of the coop/sleeping/nest box. They only go in it to lay eggs and at night. How many square feet does it need to be? I have read that you need 4 per hen and I know it is not 20 square feet.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You have a nice big enclosure!

Coop space for large fowl like you have should really be at least 4sq. ft per bird - roosting space allow for at least 1sq. ft per bird, but more is better Hens can be testy during roosting time and can pick/pluck at one another - so adding another roosting bar may help. I have a lot of roosting space, but sometimes there is still a roosting war at my place Watch your girls to see how they are getting along at bedtime.

Something else to consider is to provide perches in the run - it's hard to tell in the photos if you have any - provide something for them to get on and away from each other and preen. I cut sturdy poplar saplings for the outside perches - cheap and easy to replace. Also hanging a cabbage, apples or a bundle of kale, etc. can give them something to pick at and keep them busy during the day. Rake up a pile of leaves or pine needles and dump them in the run - mine love having something to dig through.

Scaly Leg Mites can be transmitted slowly from bird to bird, so inspecting each bird for evidence of raised scales on the legs is a good idea. I have circled what I saw in your photo so you know what to look for. There are also good photos of SLM on the web and in the article I linked previous. I hope all goes well - please keep us posted.