worried about my girls

[JakRat]

I have 6 mixed reds and they have been acting funny. Some were semi molting like on their breast and now I have not gotten eggs for 2 days. 2 of my eggs from thursday had a speck of blood in it. They are a year and a half old and were fine last winter. Could this be something else? We did just tarp up the coop for winter but light does get in... we do need to clean it out but that hasn't been an issue before ...

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Sounds like they are molting. Last winter they were too young for a "big molt" so this year they will probably lose more feathers and stop laying for a couple of weeks or so...no action necessary except to maybe up their protein intake to help with re-growing feathers.

 

[JakRat]

Is there any possibility of them getting egg bound

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I wouldn't think they were all egg bound at once...so far as you saying you tarped the coop...do they still have access to a run with plenty of daytime light? If the coop is the only place they can go and it is pretty dim in there most of the time, that could possibly throw off the laying...

I still say it is their first big time molt and in my experience, it seems to go in groups. When one hen starts molting, more follow so they all cease egg production together for a while.