Should I worm? Chicken hasn't laid eggs in about 4 months

[Pine Grove]

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Wazine will expell more roundworms all at once and do it quicker than Valbazen and Safeguard combined..I't is mild when it comes to species of worms affected. But for roundworms no other wormer can hold a candle to it, That is if i't hasn't been used year after year on the same flock

 

[riverpie]

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Thanks for the info. I'm originally from Alabama too. What would you suggest I feed for a complete meal. She occasionally gets to free range and I give some conditioner I bought from TSC and they also get to pick through any of our left-over scraps which includes egg shells, meat, veggies, fruit, etc. I changed to a smaller bag of scratch at the end of summer so it wouldn't go bad. Maybe it's not a good brand. It's hard to find a small bag of anything for chickens that isn't just a supplement. I just have the one chicken and 1 rooster. The person I got my chicken from said he just throws scratch out for them and that was all they needed but like I said, she does get some conditioner, bugs, and scraps too. I bought a small bag of alfalfa yesterday so she could get more nutrition in her diet. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[riverpie]

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We were feeding scratch and whole corn with conditioner last year. The whole corn went bad last year so I am just using scratch since I found a smaller bag of that and conditioner now. Anything else she gets is from free range when we are here to let her out so we can keep an eye out for predators and the left over scrap pile which they love to scavenge through.

 

[BamaSilkies]

I raise Silkies so I am partial to 18% crumbles with lots of goodies and they get scratch as treat because it is high in calories and low protein. You need high protein for laying. I usually buy feed that comes from the feed mill in town not because it better but because it has been handled less and not stored in a warehouse for 6 months before I get it. This means that the feed is at its freshest point. I know everyone doesnt have a feed mill right up the road but I get as close to home as you can. It also means that money spent stays in the community and not off to another state or overseas. Sorry didnt mean to go on a rant it just makes sense to me. Oh you can get the crumbles in 25lb sacks just get the chick starter thats not medicated.

 

[chickenbaguette]

Thanks for the link. There is a possibility she could have eaten something sharp. Wouldn't she be in pain? She acts fine except for not laying any eggs so after reading on this site I thought maybe worms. I did change her scratch around that time. I found a smaller bag of it at the coop and with just two birds I wanted to buy in smaller bags to keep it fresher. We had to dump out half of our last bag during the hot humid time of year.

Yes, she would be in pain. The muscles in the gizzard act constantly with a strong grinding movement, which means anything sharp would get completely stuck. But if she's acting fine that's probably not the case

And on your last comment -
She should have 'layers pellets' available constantly. They contain all a hen needs and she could live on them with nothing else at all. If you don't have one already, you should buy a feeder, as such: http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?q...2&tbnw=131&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0 , fill it to the top, and leave it with her all the time. To make sure her water stays clean you could get a waterer too.

Scratch is all completely free-range chickens need, but not if they're kept in a coop.

At the moment, does she occasionally have large amounts of scratch? Even if you give her smaller amounts, if the intervals are too large she'll gobble it and impact her crop. Chickens need to eat small amounts constantly. I haven't read all the other comments on this thread, but if scratch is all you give her deficiencies could be a problem too.

Remember, happy hens lay more, so if it's possible let her free range more or if the dogs are a problem build her a bigger coop. We've just moved house, and ours had to stay in their little run for a few days. They hate it - two out of the three layers stopped laying completely. So happiness is also a big factor.
Try getting a 'flock block' http://poultry.purinamills.com/OURPRODUCTS/Products/FlockBlock/default.aspx to keep her occupied and give her some seeds and things too. My chickens love lettuce, cabbage, pears and apples - take a whole one and secure it to the side of her coop for her to peck at.

As I said YOU REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO EXAMINE HER PROPERLY!

Could you possibly upload a picture?
I hope she's better soon!! D:​

 

[chickenbaguette]

Why do I always miss things out? xD

When you've got your feeder and pellets, mix poultry spice: http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...pj2OoK58gO-s5nGAQ&ved=0CJQBEPMCMAU#ps-sellers into the pellets. it improves all-round condition and provides essential minerals.

You know how full of protein, calcium, nutrition and goodness eggs are. That much and more needs to go into a laying chicken every day.

I don't think you have to worry too much. It's very understandable that she should stop laying after being kept in a small coop being fed only scratch for a long time. If she's fed properly and kept happy, I'm sure you'll get some eggs soon!!

 

[riverpie]

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It doesn't look like TSC carries it in the 25lb. sacks. I will look for starter without medication at coop. Maybe they will have a small bag. I will also look up feed mills in the area. Maybe there is one somewhere around here. Thanks for your help. I will try changing the food and get some wormer too and see if she starts laying again.

 

[riverpie]

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It doesn't look like TSC carries it in the 25lb. sacks. I will look for starter without medication at coop. Maybe they will have a small bag. I will also look up feed mills in the area. Maybe there is one somewhere around here. Thanks for your help. I will try changing the food and get some wormer too and see if she starts laying again.

I'm trying to find a feed mill in the area. What would you google to find one. I'm next to the largest agricultural county in the state so certainly there is one around here.

 

[BamaSilkies]

I buy it at the co op. I only use TSC for some of my meds and bedding. The co op is cheaper than TSC or at least mine is on feed. I think I paid $5.50 for the last medicated bag of Chick Starter.

 

[BamaSilkies]

I just did a Bing search for Feed Mills and it came up with lots of info but I dont know what area you are in so just add the location to the search and should find something. Your local co op can tell you how close the local feed mill is and if they carry their brand of feed. If you cant find on internet search just give them a call.