Picky Chicken not laying

[SofisChicken]

Hi everyone!

My single chicken was laying normally (~once every two days) all throughout the fall and the winter, seeing as there is never really much winter to worry about down in Miami, Florida; however, she has not laid an egg in 6 days and she isn't really touching much of her feed, she is only approaching her treats, such as blueberries and her mealworms. Whenever I am going to put her in the coop I feel that her crop is mostly empty and that it feels very liquidity. I have also noticed that her dropping had some bubbles in it this morning and that there was some red goo in it (it was sticky), could be blood, or intestinal lining? We did have three days that were colder than usual this week but she was mostly inside during those days. Does anyone know what it might be?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone!

My single chicken was laying normally (~once every two days) all throughout the fall and the winter, seeing as there is never really much winter to worry about down in Miami, Florida; however, she has not laid an egg in 6 days and she isn't really touching much of her feed, she is only approaching her treats, such as blueberries and her mealworms. Whenever I am going to put her in the coop I feel that her crop is mostly empty and that it feels very liquidity. I have also noticed that her dropping had some bubbles in it this morning and that there was some red goo in it (it was sticky), could be blood, or intestinal lining? We did have three days that were colder than usual this week but she was mostly inside during those days. Does anyone know what it might be?

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of the hen and her poop?
How old is she?

Re-check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink, if it's not empty, then begin treating according to this article https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Hard to know what the red is you saw in the poop. Can you take a sample for testing to see if worms are part of the problem?

 

[SofisChicken]

The first picture is of her first dropping about thirty minutes ago, I tried to get the best quality possible. I think she might be about two years old, I didn’t have her as chick and when I got her she looked the same as she does right now and she was laying. I will try to get more pictures of her poos when I get home from work.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like intestinal shedding.
Can you take a sample of poop for testing to see if worms might be an issue?

Have you noticed if she's molting, do you see any pin feathers coming in?

 

[SofisChicken]

I have better pictures now, she is molting, a new pin feathers are coming in from her neck, tail, and lower leg area. The first photo attached shows more of the red goo, and the second one looks kinda yellowish, could it be yolk?
The thing is I wouldn’t know where to test for worms, we’ve never gone to the vet, although, ever since we’ve had her, she’s been fairly skinny.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have better pictures now, she is molting, a new pin feathers are coming in from her neck, tail, and lower leg area. The first photo attached shows more of the red goo, and the second one looks kinda yellowish, could it be yolk?
The thing is I wouldn’t know where to test for worms, we’ve never gone to the vet, although, ever since we’ve had her, she’s been fairly skinny.

How long have you had her?

I would consider deworming her. Since she's molting, then I would use Valbazen. Dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

Most often molting hens go out of lay, so with her not laying eggs this is probably the reason.

 

[SofisChicken]

How long have you had her?

I would consider deworming her. Since she's molting, then I would use Valbazen. Dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

Most often molting hens go out of lay, so with her not laying eggs this is probably the reason.

Thank you! I’ve had her for about seven months. Sorry to keep asking, it’s just that i’ve grown very attached to her and I’m pretty inexperienced in this area. You don’t think that her not eating her feed and a yellowish tint to her poos might also be a problem?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

With her molting, she's probably not feeling that well, so she may be off her feed a little.
You can offer some poultry vitamins to give her a boost and give a little extra protein daily (fish, eggs, meat, chick starter, etc.)
The yellow tint to the urates can be a number of things, sometimes the liver is not functioning well, it could be an indication that reproductive problems are starting or it could just be something more innocuous like dehydration or worms.

 

[SofisChicken]

Thank you so much, I’ve been racking my head about her all day. I’ll give an update once I start the deworming process or if she just grows out of this behavior.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much, I’ve been racking my head about her all day. I’ll give an update once I start the deworming process or if she just grows out of this behavior.

You're doing fine.
Please do keep me updated on how she's doing.