[mab]

my two hens went off lay a while back and only occasionally lay a shell-less egg; I talked to the vet about them as they seem otherwise bright and happy, and she suggested either calcium deficiency (give calcium supplements) or infectious bronchitis (no cure - cull and replace birds).

They've had mixed corn & layers pellets (which I think have plenty of calcium anyway (?) and oyster shell as their normal diet - I've added extra shell for the last couple of months but there's no change.

can anyone suggest anything else I can try - otherwise I have to assume it's the bronchitis and the vet said  I can't keep the birds and get others for egg laying (as it's infectious - they'd infect the new birds).

I've been without eggs for ages now - I can't buy them on principal  - should I just cull them, disinfect everything and get in new birds or can I save them.

I must admit the idea of culling doesn't appeal at all - they're almost pets.

mab

[CameronS]

i personally would do the deed,
i tried ex barn hens a couple of years running, but sorry to sound business like hear - they were not worth the investment ( they were in appalling state - granted not as bad as battery ones. and not laying) - like you i kept them for a few months separated off from the others, fed them up allowed them to be hens, gave them a happy end in life, due to the lack of eggs there was no return for all the food and medication i was putting into them, i ended up culling all of them i couldn't afford to keep them.

i know this makes me sound hardnosed and uncaring, but I'm not really.

[mab]

i know this makes me sound hardnosed and uncaring...

Not really; rationally I think you're right, but I think I need to psych myself up for the deed (which I've not done before - except for a wild rabbit the dog 'crunched up' but didn't kill - but that was a clear cut mercy killing).

just want to be sure I've done what I can to get them to pay their way first.

m

[suziequeue]

I agree with Cameron.

Battery hens have a limited laying life (almost like a built-in obselescence) - and once they have stopped laying are re- homed or culled. Whilst I think providing a happy home for ex-batts is a fine thing, I would not expect them to lay again necessarily. It depends if you want them for the satisfaction of giving them a happier, more "chickeny" life or whether you want eggs from them.

Cue - hundreds of posts now from TASers who have ex-batts who have laid prolifically for years on release....... :-D

[deepinthewoods]

they will make a tasty soup....

[Eve]

How long have you had them?
When our first ex-batts arrived, we had the odd shell-less egg and soft-shelled egg (these birds didn't look bad at all to start with, not too many feathers missing). We fed them crushed egg shell which seemed to do the trick. They went through a time of not laying much, and someone else's ex-batts birds didn't lay for their first month, but it's an 75% laying rate again at the moment.
Ex-batts aren't rehomed once they stop laying, they're rehomed after a certain time because their laying rate is expected to go down after about the first year from around 95% to 70-80% (or something like that, exact figures not at hand at the moment) and then less again the following years.

If chickens had bronchitis, would they be bright and happy like yours are? 

Even if they don't lay anymore but you want to keep them since they're as pets to you, then why not? There are more expensive pets to be had than chickens
I'd do the culling for you if you lived closer by but I'm down South 

[in the hills]

My daughter wanted to give some ex batts a new life. Collected them in Jan. and didnt expect many eggs from them but that didnt matter because we have plenty of good layers.

They layed the morning after collection and although egg numbers went down as they moulted they did not stop laying and have continued ever since. They are really friendly and will live out their days here with us. When they stop they will have earned their retirement. Nothing wrong with that. It just depends how you want to manage your flock. We just rear or buy in new birds when needed. We do eat the cockerels because they really cant stay. Usually find that hybrids dont live that long anyway once they have stopped laying.

Try giving less corn and moe layers pellets for a while.

[mab]

How long have you had them?

I've had them almost a year and they were laying well - but the eggs petered out last october. I first thought they might have been in moult (as they seemed heathy) but for the occasional shell-less egg.

If chickens had bronchitis, would they be bright and happy like yours are? 

I asked the vet that very question; but she thought they might not show obvious signs of illness.

Even if they don't lay anymore but you want to keep them since they're as pets to you, then why not? There are more expensive pets to be had than chickens
I'd do the culling for you if you lived closer by but I'm down South 

I would be happy to keep them as pets, but if they do have this infectious bronchitis then I can't get more birds for eggs whilst I've got these. I've probably got to get over my reluctance to cull - I just want to be sure it's the only practical option

Try giving less corn and moe layers pellets for a while.

Already tried that, alas  - looks like my options are running out...

[in the hills]

It would be quite natural for older birds to stop laying in October as day length reduced. They may gradually start again as the weather warms up but will slow down in production. The eggs are usually larger as they get older. As they come back into lay the eggs may have soft shells or be small. I dont think I would worry too much about disease if the hens appear well.

[doganjo]

If they had infectious bronchitis you would see signs of it. http://www.infectious-bronchitis.com/signs-lesions-ib.asp

[mab]

If they had infectious bronchitis you would see signs of it. http://www.infectious-bronchitis.com/signs-lesions-ib.asp

interesting - there certainly haven't been respiratory signs - the vet could be wrong I suppose.

It would be quite natural for older birds to stop laying in October as day length reduced. They may gradually start again as the weather warms up but will slow down in production. The eggs are usually larger as they get older. As they come back into lay the eggs may have soft shells or be small. I don't think I would worry too much about disease if the hens appear well.

That's a long time off lay though - esp for ex-batt hybrids - and the days are quite long now so I'd've thought if they were going to come back into lay they would've done so by now.

I want to be sure that I don't bring in new birds to an infected flock though - maybe I should ask another vet and give them a bit longer.

thanks

M

[doganjo]

Your vet hasn't actually seen your birds has he/she?  Probably not cost effective to take one down for a check up, but if they haven't actually seen one they surely can't make a positive diagnosis?

That said, it is rather long for them to be still not laying.  My ex batts have been laying for about a month - not all of them all the time - and I get about 6 eggs a day from 9 ex batts 

Don't think IB would JUST affect egg laying without the gasping and coughing, so maybe there's another reason.  If they were about 3 or 4 I'd expect them to  not be so productive, but if only 2 + they should still lay even if only 3 or 4 times a week. Perhaps your supplier culled later than most - usually 18 months of age.

[OhLaLa]

If the vet hasn't seen the birds, she really is just guessing at what it could be. If you haven't seen any of the symptoms then they simply may not have infectious bronchitis. The calcium deficiency diagnosis would be because you mentioned the soft shelled/shell less eggs. It sounds to me as if they are simply coming to the end of their 'laying life'.

I would get a couple more hens. And if they are like pets, let the ex-batts live out their life. The new girls will lay for you, and the ex-batts may come back into lay once the weather warms up properly.

If they go in the pot they will be tough old birds. A very slow casserole is the only cooking option to tenderise the meat.

Best wishes for them - hope you choose to let them live out their life with you, they won't cost much in grain.

 

[suziequeue]

Maybe they just are coming to the end of their natural egg laying..... I mean - surely at some point they will just stop naturally?.....

I don't really know enough about it.

Agree about not buying eggs on principle. I'd rather go without than buy and fromshops now.....

[in the hills]

We had a black rock who would occasionally produce an egg until she was 10 years old and popped her clogs!

I have a warren type hybrid who gave up laying at about 4 years old. I suppose it varies but at around 2 you would expect some eggs.

I agree with previous post. If it was me I wouldnt worry too much about disease and would get another couple of POL pullets to provide you with eggs. You can then decide whether to keep or cull your present hens.