One of our six chickens was looking droopy, so I separated her, gave her Sulfanet. She looks a bit better. I don't think she has been laying for some time, as she isn't now and we have been getting 5 eggs a day for a while, never 6. She will be a year in April. Does it take a while for them to start laying again after illness? Any reason for a year old hen to stop laying? How long should I wait before she becomes soup?

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002

Answers

Any upset can put hens off the lay. Planes breaking the sound barrier are notorious for it. Electric drilling, hammering and power-saws near them. Moving them. Yes, illness as well. I'd give her a while, as in any case you probably don't want soup with medications in it.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 16, 2002.

As your chicks are one year old, have they gone through a molt yet, might be something to consider and look for.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 16, 2002.

Christina, Hello. Look to see if there are any feathers laying around or if your chicken that seems ill has lost any recently. If yes, she is probably just molting. This can last from 3-12 weeks and usually they won't lay during that time. -Jeanie

-- Jeanie Whiting (rjwhiting@ncidata.com), March 16, 2002.

If your chicken is a year old in April, she should have started laying in about August and shouldn't be ready to molt yet. Most go thru a year of laying before molting. I do think I remebmber chicken losses are about 10% per year. Just keep an I on her and like they said above, you don't want to eat eggs or the chicken with medicine in them. If she is molting already she would be one to cull from a laying flock.

-- CNoll (CBirder@aol.com), March 17, 2002.