[atwickwitch]

hi there, i only joined today so am finding my way around but while i am is there any one that can advise me.
i have had 3 chicken for two years and they have been really happy hens.3 eggs a day every day since they started laying.
4 weeks ago one dropped dead, one day she was fine the next dead.
after lots of tears we went and got two more that were about 1 year old.
for about three weeks they all beat each other up until they got their pecking order sorted out.
the two younger ones are doing really well and have recovered all their feathers, (they were bald on the neck and totally featherless on their bums)
they are all now sleeping in the same coop (i kept them seperate for 3 weeks at night although they had the run of the garden in the day)
now my two older ones who have laid eggs all through winter and spring have stopped laying. i havent had a single egg from either of them for over 10 days now.
also one of the new ones lays eggs so huge that most of the time they dont have a hard shell, they are twice the size of all the other eggs. she doesnt seem to have a pattern as to when she is laying an egg, i find them dropped all over the place at all times of the day.one day it will be in the morning hard shelled then she will drop another in the night which is soft shelled.
everything was going so well when the original three were together but since one died and the two new ones have come along everything has gone to pot with them
any advise please would be very welcome. many thanks j

[Helenaj]

Hi atwickwitch and welcome to the forum! We're all chicken mad here and there are lots of very experienced people on here with a great depth of knowledge - I should know I've picked their brains often enough!

You don't say the breed of your older hens nor how old they are. If they are the commercial "egg machines" such as a battery type hen, unfortunately they don't live very long due to the strains laying masses of eggs puts on their bodies. If there is no apparent illness present it may simply be your older ladies, like the one that recently died, are coming to the end of their natural lifespan.

It could also be that introducing more hens, coupled with the one that recently died may have upset their routine and once they settle down a bit, things will return to normal.

Keep us posted as to developments.

[atwickwitch]

hi Helenaj
thankyou for your answer.
the first two were barn hens and i got them at point of lay but because they have been left to wander since i got them i didnt think that would shorten their lives.
they are now about two and a half years old. the new ones again are ex barn but they are only 1 year old.
the older ladies just act as if they have got the hump all the time.they are very quite since their friend died and the new ones appeared but also they are loosing their feathers so i didnt know if they were just miserable and not laying because they are in moult.
it just seems strange that they stopped laying when the other one died and the new ones appeared.they are def not egg bound, i have had a feel and there's nothing there.
the new ones are very aggressive when it comes to getting the food and it seems as if this has put the two older ones off.
i used to be able to hand feed the older ones but the young ones just grab as much of it as they can fit in their beaks and run off with it leaving the older ladies looking a bit confused.(can chickens look confused?)
the older ones just seem to give it up as a bad job and walk off
its very stressful looking after chickens, at least when the children were little and off their food i knew what to do.
do you think it is a mixture of moulting season, death of a friend and new ones, and do you think they will all get back to normal soon. any advise would be helpful as i am stuck as to what is wrong. xjane

[Helenaj]

Hi,
If they were barn hens, 2 to 3 years would be about the normal lifespan, because they have a hell of a life prior to you rescuing them. New barn hens, having had to fight for their ration of food all of their life, will be more agressive for a couple of weeks, but that will settle down once they realise that enough food is on hand for all.

Chickens are very sensitive to change and all of this happening at the same time will have put your older ladies out of their stride, especially since a new pecking order will need to be established. They are obviously missing their friend as well (mine become very depressed if a pal dies). That, coupled with a moult will certainly stop them laying as the energy that goes into producing new feathers will affect egg production as very few chickens can do both at the same time. Put a little tonic in their water and that will help, plus some cheap catfood or tuna will always go down well with a moulting hen as the extra protein will help in feather production, but you will need to watch the new girls don't get it all.

Just keep a close eye on them to make sure that all of them are having their fair share of food and water (put more feeders and drinkers out if this seems a problem, even if it is just a bowl) and it should settle down in a couple of weeks.

[atwickwitch]

hi Helenaj
thankyou very much for all your answers. i did think they were upset over loosing maisie and i thought coupled with new hens and the moulting season that could be the reason for no egss.
i have already got plenty of feeders and watering things out for them but i will try the tuna to give them a bit extra.
i have tried over the last few days sneaking food to the older ladies while the little ones arent looking but as soon as they spy it they charge in like the light brigade and steal the lot.
when i got the new little ones they didnt stop feeding for the first three days so i knew by that and the state of them they had had to fight for their food and thought this was why they are so aggresive when food is around.
i have bought a few fake eggs and will put that in the shed near the old ladies to see if that will encourage them.
between anti pecking tar, pick up tonics, chicken spice and the new ceramic eggs these new ones have cost me a fortune.its a good job i got them for fun and not profit.
once again many thanks for your advice. i shall go and open a tin of tuna now. can they have sardines instead??
rgards j

[Helenaj]

Yes they can have sardines, but drain the oil off as it may upset their tummies. Also only give them a little each as it may taint the eggs if they gorge on it. But again if they are moulting, it is unlikely that you will get eggs - they simply haven't got the energy to do both! Best of luck - I'm sure everything will settle down eventually.

It is expensive to keep chickens - to get my outlay back I'd have to sell them for £10 a dozen!

[featherhead]

Hey noob question about the tuna and the oil :/
In my book about chickens it said not to give them meat but I have read a few times now about the fish - so is it ok to give them fish but not other meat? or is it ok to give them any meat (except chicken obviously) when they're moulting?
Also in my book it says to give chickens oil for a hard crop or mix it into their food to help nutrient powder or antibiotics or worming powder to stick to it - which I did with their first lot of worming powder last week!! Is oil bad for them? or is there a certain type of poultry oil I am unfamiliar with? I used olive oil as I thought it would be best for them but now I'm worried, but they seem ok..
Feather x

[Helenaj]

Hi featherhead

You shouldn't really feed any type of meat apart from a little fish to your hens - it can get you into all sorts of trouble with DEFRA if they find out. Whatever they tend to eat when free ranging you have no control over (mine tend to like mice), but with all of the food additives and antibiotics that is in our meat these days it's not recommended and since the foot and mouth outbreak it has been all but banned. Tinned catfood is okay as during the preparation and canning process the food is steralised.
As for fish, give it to them in moderation as you'll find that if they eat too much of it, you'll end up with fishy tasting eggs (yuk!), so a little bit for everyone, now and again.

Cod liver oil is the best for chickens as it's full of vitamins (A and D I think) and they prefer it to olive oil, so it's best to mix that with their food. I only use Olive oil if my hens develop an impacted crop as it does the job better than cod liver oil (it's thicker).

[featherhead]

Ahh ok thanks! That's really helpful.
I'll make sure to buy some cod liver oil and continue only giving them a little bit of veg.
x