What is wrong with my chicken?

[sharon_newsom]

Its good for the chickens health to take a break in egg production every year. Autumn is a natural time hens stop laying and start to moult. Chickens that start to moult are not fit. Diarrhoea is not a strange reaction. It takes a lot of energy to grow their feathers back.

Best not give any artificial light until their moult has finished. Or none at all if you go for your hens longevity.

She isn’t having any other symptoms of molting besides she isn’t laying eggs. No diarrhea, no lethargy, no pale comb, no feather loss, etc.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't ISA browns have a short life span? If she is 19 months she might be heading to the end of her time? They can stop laying at about 2 years? Some live to be 8, however they were bred for heavy production not longevity. She may just take a few weeks to get over being sick/molt.

 

[sharon_newsom]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't ISA browns have a short life span? If she is 19 months she might be heading to the end of her time? They can stop laying at about 2 years? Some live to be 8, however they were bred for heavy production not longevity. She may just take a few weeks to get over being sick/molt.

Yes they have a shorter life span, but she’s acting completely normal now, which I don’t understand. If she was on her way out, I feel like she wouldn’t be acting normal now.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

Hmm it is hard to say she probably needs a break.

 

[sharon_newsom]

If I turn off their artificial lighting now, and they all start molting, we have snow coming within the next week/couple of weeks. I don’t want them to be too cold when the snow comes. What do I do?

 

[BDutch]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't ISA browns have a short life span? If she is 19 months she might be heading to the end of her time? They can stop laying at about 2 years? Some live to be 8, however they were bred for heavy production not longevity. She may just take a few weeks to get over being sick/molt.

Don’t confuse laying hybrids in industrial factory farming with laying hybrids as backyard chickens.
Isa browns who die at about 2 yo as byc are an exception. The ones who are kept for industrial egg production had a real miserable life and are less healthy when they get into their first moult. Most hens go to a slaughter house before they become 2 yo. Rescues are a rare exception. But even rescues often live a few more years without problems.

If I turn off their artificial lighting now, and they all start molting, we have snow coming within the next week/couple of weeks. I don’t want them to be too cold when the snow comes. What do I do?

Prepare for moulting with extra light too. You can postpone a moult/egg production break with extra light to get eggs in winter, but you cant stop her internal clock completely.
Maybe its best to add a heater when the temps drop and the hens start to moult. I only know ventilation is in winter just as important as in summer. Its not a good idea to keep it warm inside by closing the vents because humidity builds up in the coop if the ventilation is insufficient.

I have no comparable experience at all with your current circumstances and I haven’t read much about it either.

Some people who keep laying hybrids for egg production, kill the hens when they stop laying. Sort of like the hens in factory farming. But I gather you want them to have a longer life.

There are a few articles about keeping chickens in winter you could look into.
Good luck.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/caring-for-chickens-in-the-winter.77128/

 

[sharon_newsom]

Don’t confuse laying hybrids in industrial factory farming with laying hybrids as backyard chickens.
Isa browns who die at about 2 yo as byc are an exception. The ones who are kept for industrial egg production had a real miserable life and are less healthy when they get into their first moult. Most hens go to a slaughter house before they become 2 yo. Rescues are a rare exception. But even rescues often live a few more years without problems.

Prepare for moulting with extra light too. You can postpone a moult/egg production break with extra light to get eggs in winter, but you cant stop her internal clock completely.
Maybe its best to add a heater when the temps drop and the hens start to moult. I only know ventilation is in winter just as important as in summer. Its not a good idea to keep it warm inside by closing the vents because humidity builds up in the coop if the ventilation is insufficient.

I have no comparable experience at all with your current circumstances and I haven’t read much about it either.

Some people who keep laying hybrids for egg production, kill the hens when they stop laying. Sort of like the hens in factory farming. But I gather you want them to have a longer life.

There are a few articles about keeping chickens in winter you could look into.
Good luck.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/caring-for-chickens-in-the-winter.77128/

Thank you so much for your input! We take really good care of them and I feel like they’ll live longer than the 2-3 years. They do have a heated coop (ventilated) with a covered run so snow cannot get in. Hopefully my girl just takes a little break and is back to laying eggs soon.

 

[Bsmac]

Its good for the chickens health to take a break in egg production every year. Autumn is a natural time hens stop laying and start to moult. Chickens that start to moult are not fit. Diarrhoea is not a strange reaction. It takes a lot of energy to grow their feathers back.

Best not give any artificial light until their moult has finished. Or none at all if you go for your hens longevity.

X2!