Chicken question

[keljonma]

Sorry, Hiedi. Not an easy decision, I'm sure.

I'm not surprised that she hasn't laid an egg in a while. While losing feathers or molting, the hen puts the bulk of her energy into feather growth, leaving little for egg production.

Hens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. External or internal stimuli affect hormone levels, which change the condition of the ovary and oviduct, the organs responsible for egg production. The result of these changes is the reduction or cessation of egg production. The most common stimuli that affect egg production are decreasing day length, disease, broodiness, poor nutrition, and stress. However, even under ideal conditions, every hens egg production eventually slows down and stops. from: Why Did My Chickens Stop Laying?; Pacific Northwest University 565; January 2003; J.C. Hermes

 

[Hiedi]

Thanks for all the wonderful support.

The blood in the poop has me thinking that perhaps she might have coccidiosis or maybe an internal parasite problem. I was just reading about some of the symptoms here for coccidiosis, which are: blood-tinged feces, ruffled feathers, loss of appetite, reduced egg production. I may be barking up the wrong tree, but I have the medicine on hand for coccidiosis. So I am going to isolate her, and give her the medicine and see what happens. That way, I will feel like I have exhausted all my efforts before we cull her.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I hope you are right and that with treatment she will be better.

I hate it when I have to cull someone. Never did have the stomach for it.

 

[dancingbear]

I recently started using neem leaf powder for a number of things, I'd try that before I resorted to culling. I made a strong tea, 1 TBS. per pint of water, then added about a half-pint per gallon to the drinking water. Since this one hen is ailing, you might want to give her an extra dose wit a dropper, right in her beak. Mix 1/2 tsp. with a little water and squirt it in. It will be a little thick, you'll need a dropper with a large opening.

I got my neem at http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/668840.0/CategoryID/1000.0/SubCatID/2485.0/file.htm, they also have other suppliers, if you do a search for neem, and look for all the neem leaf powder listings. You can also find it at many health food stores.

I used this to cure a poult of whatever it is that make them get all droopy and lethargic before they drop dead. I've never before had one recover from that, and never know anybody else who did either. I gave him one dose and he was right as rain the next day. Still fine now, almost 3 weeks later. I'm adding this tea to the water for the whole flock from time to time. I kept them all on it for a week, none for about 2 weeks, I'm adding more tonight for another round. Neem is an immune booster, and anti-parasitic, and causes no problems with use in meat animals or egg layers.

She may also be molting, in addition to some kind of illness.

I used to get Dumor feed at TSC, and had all kinds of problems. I don't think that feed is very good. I got a few bags of scratch grain from them that was full of hulls and bug poop.

Then I found a local small business that gets his feed from a local mill, and I use the layer mash from them, and add distiller's grain when I want to increase the protein. I feed whole corn and black oil sunflower seeds as a treat. My flock is much healthier now, lay better, and they don't stop laying when molting. They slow down, but don't stop.

This year has has weird weather all over, and my own flock has molted 4 times this year. I never saw them molt that often before. I've heard of many others encountering the same thing, this year.

Good luck, I hope you are able to cure this hen.