Questions re: egg production and red skin/no feathers

[speedchick21]

I have... And I've treated them with sevin dust and they have a wood ash and De dust bath. This was within the last three days though. I wonder how long it will take to see any changes?

 

[aart]

You may have to wait for a new feather growth cycle to begin.
You should probably treat the coop and bedding also.
Have you examined them closely, maybe at night, to look for bugs/eggs?

Could be some of the older ladies are not laying anymore, or they might just not be laying because they are infested with pests.
Are some of their combs and wattles very, very red and waxy looking(active layers)...and some paler and dry looking(non layers)?

That's an interesting coop you have, can you post a pic from the outside?

 

[speedchick21]

Yeah I've checked for lice/mites and nothing. All combs and wattles look fine. I sprayed ask of them with blu kote the other day as I noticed some of the red sex link were picking at everyone else and a few were bleeding a bit. I also treated my coop even though they've only been in it for a week.

Yeah my coop is a train car topper cut in half. Here is a different photo.

 

[getaclue]

It does look like they're molting. It normally starts at the neck. Laying is usually affected by molt. You treated with sevin dust, make sure you do the follow up too. I would put a little at the bottom of the nest boxes too, then put nesting material on top. Make sure you have free choice oyster shell available for them. I would make sure they have shade too. The skin can get sunburned during molt. I had one that was so bad, I put a little sunscreen on her. Get a bag of showbird feed, and mix it in with their regular feed, or spread it around generously as a treat for them. I have found that supplementing their diet with showbird feed does wonders with feathering, and egg production during molt. I wouldn't feed them the showbird feed exclusively though. When the new feathers start coming in, try not to handle them much. Did she have a rooster?

 

[speedchick21]

I thought about doing that! No rooster anywhere. Thanks for the advice!

 

[donrae]

Sounds like you're on the right track with everything. I think it's just going to take time to get them healthy and productive again. You might see a ramp in production late summer/early fall when it cools off.

 

[getaclue]

Get them on the showbird feed, but not exclusively. I know it costs more, but it's worth every penny.