Ruffled bum feathers

[adranv]

I have 4 Isa brown chicken that are 28 weeks old. Two weeks ago my daily yield of eggs dropped from 4 to 3 and I don't know why. I feel like one of my chickens stopped laying eggs. I'm not sure which one either.

Something I noticed before the decrease of eggs is that one of the eggs were being eaten, indicated by a wet spot in the nesting box. I was able to stop them eating the eggs by collecting it ASAP. However, now with the decrease of eggs, there's no indicator of them eating it which left me confused.

I also noticed two weeks ago that one of the chickens had ruffled bum feathers indicated by the photo. I'm not sure if it is related. Any tips in dealing with this?

 

[Chookchicken]

Depending on where you are in the world if you’re in the northern hemisphere then I’d say winter, in winter egg production decreases. Though if it’s the opposite and you’re in the Southern Hemisphere then I don’t really know. Good luck.

 

[MissMonty]

As mentioned above if you're in the northern hemisphere egg production goes down this time of the year. Totally normal. My chickens would usually go from laying 6-7 eggs a week down to 1-2 if I was lucky some stopped laying completely in the winters

 

[aart]

However, now with the decrease of eggs, there's no indicator of them eating it which left me confused.

If you free range, they may be laying them out in range area.
Even if you live in the northern hemisphere, seems odd they would be having even a partial molt at their age. ISA's, and any other high production hybrid, are more likely to lay thru first winter than most other breeds.

I also noticed two weeks ago that one of the chickens had ruffled bum feathers indicated by the photo. I'm not sure if it is related. Any tips in dealing with this?

Not sure what you mean by 'ruffled'.
If you're concerned, best to take a closer look.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @adranv
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!