Poopy Butt and Not Laying for Months

[Shannonwbl]

Not sure where to post this so I am posting here and in laying:

I have an amerucana (1yr) that stopped laying a couple of months ago. She was molting, so I didn't worry much about it. Since then other hens have molted, stopped laying and started again, but not her. Just yesterday I noticed that her butt feathers are collecting poop. This happened to another hen, and I cleaned her off and no problem, but with this one I am worried since she is still not laying. All my hens get apple cider vinegar in their water along with a vitamin/electrolyte. I also give them black oiled sunflower seeds each morning as a special treat. They free range during the day, but I have locked her up for a few days at a time to make sure she isn't hiding eggs and... nothing. Here are my questions:

Is the messy butt indicative of a problem? What is the best/easiest way to clean it?

Any ideas on the laying? It has been at least 3 months.

Thanks - Shannon

 

[Backyard Buddies]

It's entirely possible that she has a health condition that is causing her problems. You might want to have fecal sample examined by a vet to see if there is a problem.

That said, my EE (same thing hatcheries label as an americauna) has been a choppy layer since her earliest days without any health compromise. I've kept calendars on my girls since they were 5 or 6 weeks old. She's my only EE, the other two being RIRs. The EE would always stop laying during her mini-molts, often for a couple months at a time in the winter months while the other two would only cease during major molts. She's now nearly 3 years old, but she hasn't laid an egg since July. The other two are the same age, but while they also stopped laying for a while during their molt, they are now laying 3 - 4 eggs each a week.

When my girl was the age of yours, I made a post with the same question as yours. I was told at the time that it may just be that I had a girl who would never be a very good layer. I didn't want to believe it at the time, but that advice was completely correct (I think it was Jody who said that - Thanks Jody!). I've now learned to accept it. Since Elsie is a sweet thing and my son's favorite, she'll just remain with us until it's her time to pass.

 

[speckledhen]

She may be one of those who just quits for months on end when she molts. Also, but hopefully not, she could be laying internally (not eggbound). If that is the case, she will eventually begin losing alot of weight and become very weak. I've had four die from this, all between two and two and a half years of age, all hatchery girls. If so, there is no cure unless you want to have a hysterectomy done. I hope it's just that she's not a fantastic layer.

 

[Shannonwbl]

I also hope she is just a poor layer. I haven't been terribly concerned because she is otherwise very healthy and active, and is in generally good condition. I am going to try to clean her up a bit today and give her another good once-over just to be sure.