[judesailor]

We got three battery hens two weeks ago and I have a couple of questions I hope you knowledgable people can help me with.

One of our hens does not seem to be laying at the moment - the food is certainly going through and looking at the poo pages is definately normal - could the lack of eggs be stress still or should we start to wonder about being egg bound etc.?  She does go into the roost quite a lot on her own and tries to snooze - but never for long as she is so nosey she does not want to miss anything.

I've seen two of the three wretching?  Or that's about the best way to describe it.  It looks as though they are trying to be sick, but nothing comes out and no sound either - but then after a couple of minutes they are eating and drinking normally.  Any ideas?

I know these questions have problably been answered before but there is so much information on this site I thought it quicker to ask.

Thanks in advance

Judith
Fair winds, and wide horizons.

[carolbriar]

I am fairly new to keeping chickens but wonder, have they been wormed?  Flubenvet is the wormer that everyone seems to recommend (one I use myself).  With the hen that isn't laying - it can stress them out being moved and can take a while before they lay.  I am sure one of our more experienced members will come along with much more help. 

[Beano]

I've seen two of the three wretching?  Or that's about the best way to describe it.  It looks as though they are trying to be sick, but nothing comes out and no sound either - but then after a couple of minutes they are eating and drinking normally.  Any ideas?
 
I think the "wretching" is quite normal and is just the way they sometimes need to shifft food in their gullet, especially if they have gulped their food down too fast.  A little like us burping. Not sure about the the other one.

[newhen]

hi,
Don't worry about the girls not laying.  I found that they stopped for a little while, grew their feathers back and then resumed laying.. Bless em.

Good luck with them.

[Jeanette]

Dont worry about the wretching i think they do that to clear their throat. When i got my first batch of ex bats they layed every day, my second batch it took a year before they layed and a couple have never layed. When i got ex bats i did it because i wanted to give them a better life than they had in the battery for them to lay is an added bonus after the hard life they have had they deserve a rest 

[Mother-Hen]

I've had quite a few ex-batts now and some of them have never layed, as Jeanette said it's an added bonus if they do. I  have them to give them a better life.