Stopping laying already?

[cuwiar]

Hi, last Saturday we got three girls - two aren't laying yet but one of them (a Blackrock) had been laying for around a week before we got her and on the Sunday she layed us an egg (it was pretty long and thin which I put down to the move stress)the next day (Monday) there was another which was much smaller and nothing since! If she has only been in lay for a couple of weeks is it normal for her to have stopped already? I know it's getting to the time of year when they are slowing down...

 

[jubilee]

If they are young birds coming into lay will be hit-and-miss for a few weeks anyway. They will slow down due to the time of year, but also that and the combination of moving somewhere new could have put her off. They should start again with gusto in the spring.
A change in water can also put them off laying! It doesn't take much to upset young birds.(or old ones if they are orpingtons!! :lol: )

JubesX

 

[cuwiar]

Thanks Julie, just so concious of every little thing they do at the moment and worried about her being egg bound - she is acting perfectly normal in all other aspects but just wanted to know if there is any real early signs to watch out for before a disorder like that gets critical??

 

[chrismahon]

Egg bound starts with repeated and prolonged spells in the nest box followed by a depressed droopy look. Inspection of her pulsating vet should show the egg. At that stage the egg could break and fragments of broken shell could set off an infection so it is important that either the egg comes out whole or all the bits of shell are removed. Apparently placing a bowl of hot water under her vet relaxes the muscles so the egg comes out but that didn't work for us. We had a Black Rock in that condition and when the shell broke she ejected it. But it had collapsed trapping her duct which then came out with the egg. I pushed the prolapse back in with my thumb and rushed her to the vet. It came out once more when she poo'd and then she was back laying as normal.

But I doubt in this case you have anything to worry about as everyone has said. She's probably just a very young hen being erratic after her move.

 

[Chuck]

It's probably the settling in period as has been said. I find it better if they arrive before they come into lay so they have time to settle but you can't always arrange this.
There's not a lot you can do and she should come back into lay soon.