[Jomtie]

Our seven month old Coucou Marans was poorly a few weeks ago. She had stopped laying and was clearly unwell, moping around, sleepy, tail down, runny poo. We took her to the vet as we thought she might be egg bound. He could feel no egg and said she was in good condition but thought she might have bacterial enteritis, so he gave her an injection and some Baytril to put in her water. We isolated her for a week while she was being treated and she is completely back to her old self, except that she still hasn't laid. She last layed on June 21st and she finished the Baytril on July 1st. I know that we can't use the eggs for a month after the end of her treatment, but I would feel happier if she was completely back to normal and laying. Is this delay in getting back to laying usual after a course of antibiotics?

[joyfull]

give her chance - sometimes a hen can go off lay for a few weeks 

[kegs]

I think I've read somewhere that when a hen's been on antibiotics it can be a good idea to give her some probiotic to get her gut back in good condition.  It might be worth a try.

[Jomtie]

Thanks. I give my hens a couple of spoons of probiotic natural yoghurt every day anyway, so hopefully she will lay soon.  She seems as right as rain in every other respect, so I'll just have to be patient. 

[Jomtie]

Margot has still not laid an egg since being on a course of Baytril. She last laid on June 21st! She is otherwise happy and healthy and goes into the coop every day to sit in the nest box for 20 mins or so, but no eggs. I'm beginning to think that she may never lay again and that perhaps her infection was gynae and so her egg production 'parts' have been damaged. Anyone else had a young hen just stop laying?

[splash101]

One of mine last year had trouble passing an egg. She laid normally on the Thursday, i saw her struggling on the friday afternoon and she was still the same the next day. I bathed her, held her over steam but that didnt seem to work. i shut her in the coop on her own and she eventually passed the egg on the Saturday afternoon. (Just a regular egg, no oddities)
After that she didnt lay for about 4 weeks and then for about 2 weeks they were shell less and wind eggs but she soon got back into the swing of it.