[shargi59]

Hi
We have recently bought four new chickens as our previous ones got eaten by a fox, we have since made the coop fox proof. The chickens are about 6 months old now and we have had them for about 2 months, we were having the odd egg straight away as soon as we got them but now they have completely stopped laying. We feed them corn and laying pellets plus they have scraps that we leave. Can you advise what the problem may be.
We have had to treat them for mites, would this affect egg laying?


Thank you

Sharon

[Vember]

Hi Shargi welcome to the Hen House

Was it red mite they've had or lice? Red Mite will weaken the girls terribly So yes it could be a result of that. If they were lice it could stop them from laying if they were heavily invested
Another thing that can stop them laying is moulting



I would knock all corn and treats on the head for a week or two just feed them layers and see if normal laying resumes

Sarah

[shargi59]

Hi Sarah
I cleaned, bleached and scrubbed their coop yesterday and sprayed the coop, and them  with mite spray. They were tiny little red things that were on my arms and legs when I had finished. I will be scrubbing out their coop every week now and spraying until hopefully they've gone.
We use sawdust and straw in their coop at the moment. They do seem quite light, so do you think we should still just give them laying pellets for a while or try to build them up a bit? I feel so sorry for them, I wonder how long they have had these things. ANy other suggestions would be more than welcome.

Thank you

Sharon
 

[SMD66]

It took me 4 weeks to rid the house of red mite, I used poultry shield spray and diatom powder.
You said you sprayed the hens with red mite treatment.  Most sprays I have seen are just for the coop and not for spraying birds.  You may want to check that your spray is ok for the birds.  Diatom powder and other powders are usually ok for treating the birds.
Do they have access to layers pellets all the time?

[shargi59]

Hi
I meant to say it was mite powder I'd used and not spray. I checked carefully how much etc.
I give them a mix of corn and laying pellets in the morning and some leftover veggies etc. I read that cider vinegar was good to put in their water too.
Any advice would be gratefully accepted.
How can you tell if the mites have gone? They do let me pick them up and check them, but how can you tell in the coop?
Thank you for your time

Sharon

[Casey76]

Hi Sharon,

The hens should have access to layers pellets all day, not in discreet "meals."  I would also not feed corn for a while either.  It is very filling and tasty, which makes the hens fill up on (nutritionally worthless - almost) corn, so they don't eat enough of the nutritionally balanced layers pellets.

[SMD66]

Yes ACV in water is good for them.  Powder for mites is good too!
I looked for the mites by taking my perches apart so I could see them hiding in there, also they tended to come out when I sprayed.
As Casey just said, they should have access to layers pellets all day long,

[shargi59]

Thank you for your advice, will take it up and keep you posted.