should I be worried

[pooh731]

My Black Sexlink started laying around the last week of January and then stopped laying around the first week of February, then she started laying again around the middle of February, but she stopped again the first week of marh and stopped again at the end of March. And then started laying again the first week of April and now she has stopped. I also got a new baby chick the middle of March but my BSL laid an egg after I got my baby New Hampshire red. Is this normal or should I be worriedl My EE, RR and my BSL all eat the babt chicks food will it hurt them and my baby New Hampshire Red eats the big birds layin pellets. I don't know what to, and the RR and my BSL chases the baby around my backyard, will they stop chasing her. I have the baby sleeping in the house at night and let her run around outside during the day.
How can I get my RR to sleep back out in the coop with my EE and BSL instead of in my house, she has been sleeping in my house ever since she was molting and my EE picked on her. I have since added another section on to the coop so the EE has her own side the BSL sleeps in the new side.

 

[Judy]

Your youngest chicks should not eat layer as the additional calcium can be harmful, but it sounds like your chick is around 6 weeks, and I've certainly read of many instnces where prople started feeding layer at this age without apparent harm. Other than this, I don;t know of any of the standard type of feed that will harm other chickens, including mature birds eating chick starter.

Housing adult birds next to each other for a few weeks before mixing them usually prevents any serious damage. In the end, you just have to let them work out their pecking order. If you don't see blood, you can let them work it out. It may be that one who is not through a molt would need to be protected a little longer, though. There are really no hard and fast rules for integration. People report integrating immatures with adults without a problem. Yet, others do everything right, have them all the same size and living side by side for weeks, then integrating in plenty of space with treats, hiding places, multiple food and water stations -- and still have a bad outcome.

As for the irregular laying, I'd just watch her, in case she should become eggbound -- which might very well never happen. They do a lot of things oddly during their first weeks of laying. They may lay odd sized or odd shaped eggs, eggs with shell defects, etc. -- and often, after a month or so, settle down to a regular pattern without difficulty. Also, it doesn't take much for a hen or pullet to quit laying briefly -- a disturbance, a frightening noise, a predator hanging around the outside of the coop one night, even a good thunderstorm. Maybe she was "shaken up" a little by something, and will still settle down. Good luck!