Please help: narcoleptic chicken not laying

[jrvv]

Interesting news....just checked on the ladies and Henrietta - the "sick" and listless girl looks great today - she is alert, eating voraciously, drinking lots of water, pecking at things and staying with the group. Her wings are not drooping down and she's not sitting hunched.

Any suggestions about what this "change of heart" could be? My hubby's patient mentioned that she could be broody and to put a fake egg in the coop. We did that last night...

 

[jrvv]

Well....today I found 2 eggs from Henrietta: one soft-shelled and broken open, and the other is shell-less. I guess that means she either has egg-drop, or she is an internal layer. I de-wormed them all regardless.

Poor girl...

 

[MotherJean]

That's a real shame. There's a thread that's been going for awhile that may offer some valuable insight on the condition: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4364492

 

[caralouise1974]

Quote:
Don't panic! Our bluebelle did this kind of thing countless times in her first season laying. One day she produced FOUR eggs - a double yolker with a shell first thing, a brittle egg at lunchtime, and then a shell-less egg on the lawn in the evening. And she has ended up just fine. Still very prone to soft-shelled eggs, but nonetheless, into her second season and looking good.

Whenever she had a softie on the way, I would always know, as she stood still, fluffed up, and wasn't very interested in eating/drinking or moving around. As soon as it was out - Hey Presto! - one normal chicken again.

She's probably just getting into the swing of laying. Don't write her off just yet.