My Hen’s Not Laying
My 2-year-old Tetra Tint hen went broody at about 9 months. I read the best way to break her of her broodiness, so I tried it. It worked. After about three weeks of not laying eggs, she started up again. After approximately three weeks of laying eggs, she went broody again.
By this time, I had plans in the works for an addition on my coop, but needed to wait for the weather to cooperate. I broke her once again, and after about three weeks, she started laying. As last time, she stopped laying after about three weeks. She went broody once again.
So with the addition well under way, I broke her again, in hopes this pattern would keep up, and I would allow her to set on some eggs, as the addition would then be finished, and I would have a separate area for a nursery/injury. Well, she never went broody again, and has never laid an egg again.
Winter came and it was brutal in our area, so I attributed the weather to her lack of laying. Just a few weeks ago, she has shown interest in the nest boxes again. She goes to the nest box and does the routine of a laying hen, but she has yet to lay an egg, and it’s been six weeks now.
Did I mess her hormones up, and she can’t lay, or has she become an internal layer? She is on the same food as all my other hens, layer pellet. Has a clean coop and plenty of fresh water. Any ideas?
Susan Ganzel—Toledo, Ohio
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your question about your broody hen not returning to a laying hen. I would first check your hen to make sure she’s healthy. Is her comb pale? Is she having trouble walking? If you see no signs of illness, then I think this is just part of her natural process.
When a hen goes broody, her pituitary gland releases a hormone called prolactin. This causes her body to stop laying. As a hen gets older and molts each season, it will take her longer to start laying each time. It sounds like your hen is getting ready to lay again, it’s just taking her a while.
Good luck and try not to worry!
Conventional chicken keeping wisdom dictates that annual molting occurs at the end of summer or the early fall, when daylight hours shorten and temperatures drop.
Despite this prevailing belief, you should remember that your flock cannot read a
calendar and will be contrarians if it suits them. This spring might just be the season in that
some or all of your flock members decide to drop their feathers for a new coat of plumage.
Incubator Question
I have an incubator and with all the heat and humidity in the air without adding water the humidity reads 60 to 70 percent, and I am on day 5. I am worried about development and how to get the humidity down to ensure a good hatch. Please advise and thank you in advance.
Adria
Hi Adria,
Thanks for your question on the humidity in your incubator. I ran it by our expert, Lisa Steele.
Her advice is below:
“It’s very humid here in Virginia and I’ve had good luck taking the lid off the incubator for 20 to 30 minutes each day. Brinsea also recommends cooling the eggs to mimic a hen leaving the nest to eat and drink once a day, which this accomplishes also. I usually do it midday sometime, and only for thefirst 18 days, after lockdown you want to leave the incubator closed. Also, if you are adding water to the reservoir, adding less won’t really help since humidity is based on surface area of the water container.”
Good luck with your new chicks!
FAQ #5: What happens if my chicken turns its head all the way around?
Some of the time, this can be related to a neurological disorder, oft en triggered by injury. Although chicken are very smart creatures, their brains are very small and a head bonk can cause such injury. At times, you can get a prescription of prednisone from a veterinarian to help with these types of injuries; however, it is a not something to give long term. Some birds also have a different flight and fright response. Th ey may act normal and then you pick them up and they will respond like the myotonic fainting goats. If she is acting fine and laying healthy eggs, you do not have anything to worry about.
Trouble With Sparrows
Hello! This is not (directly) a poultry health question, but I am hoping that you can help.
I’ve kept chickens (mostly heritage layers, but occasionally others) freerange on my small farm for more than 35 years, so I have a bit of experience with most aspects of poultry raising. However, since last winter (a very bitter one here), I’ve had a new problem that I’m hoping I can get some advice on.
House sparrows have always been a bit of a nuisance around the farm (as they are almost everywhere), but I never thought much about them until last winter, when they realized that my chicken coop was a pretty grand place to spend the winter: dry and warm, lots of good vittles, and fresh (unfrozen) water!
Needless to say, they did what birds do all over the place in there. Unfortunately, they didn’t leave once the weather got nice; instead, they raised even bigger families (probably all that high-quality layer feed, calcium, etc.) and invited all their friends and relatives to join them in bird heaven.
My “coop” is actually a wired-off section of a large old banked barn, so the way the chickens go in and out is through a livestock-sized door, not the more traditional coop “pop-hole.” I’ve wondered if a ground-level “pop-hole” would deter the sparrows; a friend who keeps chickens in an actual coop nearby has also started having problems with sparrows living in her coop.
I am wondering if anyone has had any luck they can share with deterring sparrows from living the easy life in the hen house! Thank you for your consideration.
Marcia Stucki, Cedar Hill Farm, Michigan
Hi Marcia,
I ran your question by a few of our poultry experts and have included their answers below. I think you’ll find some interesting suggestions that will be helpful.
“I had a similar problem, what I did was stick a hanging target on a few trees. For some reason our starlings thought it was another set of ‘eyes’ and stopped showing up. This helps with hawks as well.” – Alexandra Douglas
“A pop door would help as would not leaving feed out all day. Put it out for 1/2 hour in the morning and again in the afternoon and that’s it — feed more veggies as treats, not seeds and grains.
Shoo the birds out and without a food source, they should leave. — Lisa Steele
Good luck getting rid of the sparrows!
What Predator Killed My Chicken?
I would love some input. We have had flocks for 11 years now in our coop and run without any predator problems. The yard has two layers of fence, buried 18-inches down, and the top of the yard area has very heavy shade cloth covering. Since last winter’s snow load, there are two tears in the cloth and one of the doors to the yard has a small warp. This morning I found one of our chickens out in the yard area, killed, head totally gone, and part of the thigh, back and minimal internal organs gone — any idea on the culprit? We live in Fruita, Colorado, outside the town.
We will get that gap in the door fixed today and try to cover the holes in the roof of the yard area with bird netting.
Thanks for any ideas.
Karole Ryan
Hi Karole,
I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve been having predator problems at my house too, so I can sympathize.
Gail Damerow wrote a wonderful book, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, and she has a predator detective key that I use to diagnose problems when they arise. Based on your clues and using the key, I think your predator was a raccoon.
You probably have raccoons around the coop every night and just don’t know it. Last night, a raccoon took advantage of the hole in the fencing. It’s the time of year that raccoons are raising their young, so the moms are extremely hungry and looking for an easy meal. I’d definitely get the fencing repaired and check for any other holes. Raccoons are amazingly resourceful and will find even the smallest of weaknesses in your defenses.
Good luck!
Assorted Poultry Questions
I love your magazine! I have chickens, heritage turkeys, khaki Campbell ducks and guineas. I live on a dairy farm and am able to get 17 percent layer feed in bulk. I have been feeding this to all. I have course ground corn I add to the turkey and duck feed. I also have milk available I give to the chickens daily.
Is this going to be bad for them in the long run? Should I feed the game bird a game bird feed, or is there something I can add to the feed to make it better for the game birds? I also have a chicken with feather loss, and I assume it’s from the rooster. Some have grown feathers back since I took him out, but their skin is quite red. Should I put something on it?
Jackie Closson, New York
Hi Jackie,
You’ve got a couple issues, so I’d like to first address the hen’s feather loss. You are correct; it does seem like it’s from the rooster. If you’re not in need of new chicks, I’d keep the rooster separated the hens until those feathers grow back. I have had this problem before and never treated my hen’s skin. Without the rooster, they grew back wonderful new feathers. If you’d like to keep the skin moistened, our blogger, Lisa Steele suggests using coconut oil, Green Goo or a natural Vaseline alternative. I would also recommend feeding them Nutrena’s Feather Fixer. It really does help with feather regrowth.
With your mixed poultry, it is better to separate the turkeys and chickens because blackhead disease can pass between species. Our blogger, Alexandra Douglas suggests adding a 30 percent, or at the least, a 26 percent protein game bird feed to your 17 percent feed to increase the protein.
Chickens can be lactose intolerant, so be careful with milk, but overall it can be good source of additional nutrients for your birds. If you have whey, that is the perfect perfect additive for the birds — just make sure to feed it in moderation.
I hope this is helpful. Good luck with your flock!
A Duck Tumor?
Recently we harvested some ducks. While hand plucking the duck, I noticed something large and hard in her upper abdomen, and after going through the lucker, I noticed it was free-floating in the abdomen. We opened the abdomen, expecting a huge gizzard and found something that looked like some kind of tumor. We cut into it, the center area seemed to be like yolk surrounded by an egg shell and then all of that was surrounded by multiple layers (paper thin) but 1 to 2 inches thick. After doing some research, I think it may be “internal layer”. However, I have not been able to find out what may have caused it. How long did the duck live with it? Would there have been something to do for her if I have discovered it while she was alive?
She was a Saxony and kept with a flock. She was thinner than some of the other ducks and seemed to be taking longer than some to complete her molt. I suspected she was one of several that were not laying eggs, or at least not often. She was a favorite of the drakes and was about 18 months old.
Thanks so much for any information you can give me.
Patsy McAdams
Hi Patsy,
Thank you for your question and for sharing your photos. I ran this by our expert, Alexandra Douglas. The following is her response.
“As I am glancing at the photos, I agree, this is a tumor or growth of some sort. You mention that the duck did not lay in her lifespan. Most likely the growth was interfering with her reproductive system. The photos you posted are very abnormal for stomach photos. When opening the stomach cavities you would see the cavity consist of the same as any other animal.
“Unfortunately, this looks to be a rapidly growing growth and quite a large one at that, blocking many of her glands and not allowing them to function properly. If taken to the vet, it would be a difficult procedure, resulting in death most likely. If she was still alive, she would live out a life until the end, but since you culled, you know why things were not as functional now. That is a good thing because you learn from her about things that can happen. What could cause this? It can be genetic or environmental, it is hard to tell. This is a learning experience and I applaud you for sharing.”
Battling Fleas
Is there a safe way to battle fleas in the yard without risking the health of my chickens and ducks? We’ve tried flea collars, flea baths, flea drops, severe hair cuts and the dogs and cats keep getting fleas, and severely so.
We need to treat the yard, but I don’t want to put down anything that can hurt my poultry or native wildlife, including all my frogs.
Is there anything that kills just fleas?
Carlye
I think you need a two-pronged approach to this problem. You can’t control the fleas coming into your yard. They come in on squirrels, raccoons and other animals daily. Your pets need to be treated so the fleas have no home once they enter your yard. I would talk with your vet about what would work best for the dogs and cats. I’m a fan of Frontline and Advantage, but that’s a personal choice. I would stay away from the grocery store options, as I’ve heard they don’t work as well.
As for your yard, I don’t have any personal experience with full applications of treatments. I did a little research and found some non-toxic methods that include spraying with essential oils and using applications of beneficial nematodes. Unfortunately, the chemicals that seem to work well disrupt the nervous system of the fleas and can be harmful to pets and kids if they are exposed to large amounts. I would not feel safe using them around chickens, ducks or frogs. You may want to talk with a professional company and see if they offer non-toxic options.
I hope this is helpful and you’re rid of fleas soon!
A Bad Egg
Four of my 1-year-old free-range Barred Plymouth rock have not laid eggs for one month now and don’t seem likely likely to resume to do so. They brood very irregularly, and sometimes they would sit for two to three hours and get up on their own, and sometimes I have to disturb them to get them out of the box. More than a week ago, I found three shell-less eggs (I don’t know who did it).
Yesterday I found a shell-less egg along with this (photo) in the coop floor.
Is there any thing I could do to get them back to laying ability? If they brood what is the longest period that they would stop laying? I don’t think their diet is an issue here.
Your advice would be appreciated.
Napi
Hi Napi,
Thanks for your question about your broody chickens and the egg picture. I’ll admit, your picture had me stumped. It just didn’t look like an egg with a missing shell. So, I ran it by our poultry experts for a second opinion. We could not make out whether the kidney shapes are smooth or solid but thought they may be gravel or pebbles. If so, it is not diet related but rather that the bird could not churn efficiently and either regurgitated the contents or did not digest them properly and it passed through like it came in.
Eggs with missing shells are usually the result of a hen being rushed through the laying process and the egg is laid before the shell is formed. This can happen because of a stressor like fright or excitement. These eggs can also occur when a hen’s shell forming mechanism malfunctions. As chickens get older and the weather gets warmer, hens do need more calcium. Missing or soft shells happen occasionally, but if they happen consistently, it may be a sign of a viral disease.
As for your broody hens not returning to laying hens. I would first check to make sure they are healthy. Are their combs pale? Are they having trouble walking? If you see no signs of illness, then I think this is just part of their natural process. When a hen goes broody, her pituitary gland releases a hormone called prolactin. This causes her body to stop laying. As a hen gets older and molts each season, it will take her longer to start laying each time. It sounds like your hens are getting ready to lay again, it’s just taking them a while.
I hope this is helpful!
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