The next thing is to check that your hens don't have any lice or mites on them and check the housing for red mite.  Are they eating, drinking and behaving normally?  Is their comb still red and healthy?  Are they showing any signs of illness?

It is worth remembering that sometimes your hens may have been exposed to stress that you are not aware of such as a fox attempting to get into the house at night (but obviously not succeeding!), or a bird of prey nearby etc.

It is also essential is to ensure your hens are eating their Layers pellets.  A diet of corn or scraps will equal very few, poor quality eggs. 

 It's a good idea to start with a smaller number of hens than you can house and add a couple of new point of lay hens every year.  This way you should always have hens in their prime and as your older hens stop laying you have younger hens ready to take their place.

12. What plants are poisonous to hens?

  13. How do I stop the hens run becoming bare and muddy?.

If you are planning to keep your hens in a static run I strongly recommend putting a base down in it.  If you don't then during the wet weather you will have a muddy, unhygienic area.  The other problem caused by a bare run is boredom which can lead to all sorts of problems such as feather pecking.

There are lots of bases you can use, but I use a weed proof matting such as Teram and cover it with a thick layer of wood chips. 

Bark chips are not suitable for hens as the whole point of bark chips is to retain moisture - exactly what you want to avoid! Aspergillus thrives on bark - this is the fungus which, if it gets into poultry lungs and airsacs, slowly kills them.  It's dangerous as the spores can hide inside the airsacs where antibiotics have little effect. Wood chips are too hard for the aspergillus fungus to colonize and so are ideal for the run.

By putting the weed proof matting below the chippings you will prevent the wood chips slowly sinking into the mud below - the rain can drain through but the mud cannot come up through it.   The wood chips will last for a very long time, and with a mat below they can easily be taken up if you want to change them.  I regularly cover mine with a layer of powdered disinfectant such as Stalosan F to keep them hygienic, the rain then washes it through.

14.  How can I prevent the hens becoming bored in a run?

See point 13 above.  Simply throw a small handful of corn or their daily ration of layers pellets into the wood chips (in dry weather to ensure the pellets don't get damp) and they will then spend hours scratching through it looking for their food.  Amusement and exercise at the same time!

I also hang up bird peanut feeders stuffed with treats such as corn on the cob - they will then take hours pecking at it to retrieve their treats.

15. My hens have bald patches/are feather pecking.

Pure breed hens will moult annually (change their feathers), usually in the Autumn or as they days become shorter.  Hybrid hens are bred to not do this as drastically as they stop laying during the moult.  They will still go though a partial moult, but it is not as alarming as the pure breeds.  If you notice lots of feathers in the coop (and a hen thinning on top!), this is quite normal - she will probably slow down or stop laying during this period, but will start again when she has re-feathered.  It is a good idea to give Cod Liver Oil at this time at the rate of roughly 1 tablespoon per bucket of feed.  Cod Liver Oil is a fantastic tonic and will also promote faster re-feathering.

If the hen is not moulting, the problem could be feather pecking.  It can be caused by a lack of protein in the diet, but I feel the most common cause is boredom.  In 15 years of having my hens completely free ranging I have not had a single hen feather pecking, but when I have to put them into large pens for breeding, I will get the occasional hen start to feather peck which does back up the boredom theory.

This is a really frustrating problem to overcome.  The first thing to do is establish who is doing the pecking - this is usually easy as it is the hen with the perfect set of feathers!  I have had a chance to observe lots of cases of feather pecking with the boarding hens that come in (already with the problem - not caused by the boarding!) - some hens pull out the feathers at the base and other hens seem to somehow just remove the tips of all the feathers.  I have noticed that the most common place for them to pull another hens feathers out is the 'saddle area' around the tail.  

Some hens only pull out the feathers when they are perching at night, so it is very hard to catch them at it, but it does explain why your hens will be 'plucked' in certain areas - it's where the offender can reach at night!

It is a problem that needs addressing as soon as you spot it, if not it can become ingrained behaviour and a very bad habit.  As a first course of action you can try anti-feather peck sprays.  Secondly, I would remove and isolate the offending bird for a few weeks which may break the habit.  When she goes back in, the other hens will have re-grouped and may not put up with her pulling their feather's. 

If this doesn't work you can try a 'beak bit' - it is a simple C shaped plastic device that clips into the nostrils and goes through the beak.  This prevents the hens completely closing her beak and therefore getting a grip on the feathers.  You may find you can remove it after a month or two but be aware that the hens cannot eat mash with a beak bit in - They will have to have pellets.

If all else fails the only option may be to re-home her.  Don't necessarily feel you are passing the problem on to someone else - If you know someone with a group of older or more dominant hens it is highly unlikely she would dare peck them.

Red Mite on the underside of the perch - The first sign is the grey dust like deposits, look closer & you can see the mites in the cracks.

Red mite after being sprayed with 'Poultry Shield'.

Red Mite is the most common poultry problem which is why there are so many products on the market to treat it.  It tends to strike in warmer weather when it multiplies rapidly.  I check around the perches every few days as if you can catch it earlier it is far easier to treat.  It is still possible to get red mite in plastic housing, I have found it in the plastic houses and around the pull out trays, but it is easier to eradicate in plastic housing, and is easier to spot.  Obviously some of the suggested treatments below relate to wooden housing.

Red Mite Symptoms

Check the underside and ends of perches regularly at night, Red Mite can hide anywhere in the shed but tends to be most concentrated where the hens are easily accessible at night.  Look in any screw heads or tiny cracks of crevices.  If you find small cream or grey mites crawling on you when you have been in the shed (barely visible to the human eye) these are immature red mite that have not fed on blood - mature red mite are larger and dark red when they have fed.

Another tell-tale sign is a dusty grey ash like substance near areas where the mites hide (see photo above).

If your hens are reluctant to go into roost in the house at night check carefully for red mite, this is usually the first sign and by this time you may have quite a problem.  If you notice anything crawling on you when you have been in the house or feel itchy after being in there.  If you have had the problem for a while the hens combs may become paler as they become more anemic as the mites take more blood.  

Also check for any little red smears and spots on the perches and eggs - these are squashed blood filled mites!

To confirm that you have it, go into the house when it is dark and the hens are roosting - carefully check all over the house with a strong torch for mites.  Run a white tissue along the perches and nestboxes, any red streaks or red spots indicate mites.

Red Mite Treatment

If you catch it at an early stage, remove and burn all the bedding.  Completely soak the house with Poultry Shield/Smite or similar which will kill any living red mites it touches.  These products usually have no residual effect so when the shed is dry, dust Louse Powder all over the house covering every surface, paying particular attention to the perches and corners.  This will then kill any mites that have been missed by the spray.  You will need to repeat this every few days for a few weeks.

If you have a felt roof it will have to be removed as there is no way you can reach the gap between the felt and inner timber which is where the mites will be hiding.  Replace it with Onduline or similar so that you can treat all surfaces.  

There is no magic cure for red mite - it is necessary to look out for it all the time and treat it repeatedly (one treatment will have little effect) as soon as you find it.  If you delay in treating it, it will multiple rapidly and the only cure will be burning the shed and replacing it.

17. What other sorts of lice can by birds get?

Wild birds, mice and rats bring in lice and mites meaning they are impossible to avoid!  If a single wild bird feather drops in, or a wild bird feeds or nests in their area - lice, coughs and colds will arrive as well. Please check the skin around the birds fluffy vent feathers and under the wings every time you pick the birds up (or every few weeks).  Lice hatch within hours and spread incredibly fast so are best caught early.   

Watch out for Red Mite in the warm weather, Northern Fowl Mite in the cooler weather, and body lice all year around.  Red Mite and Northern Fowl Mite can kill if you have a bad infestation.

Northern Fowl Mite

Lice Eggs at the base of the feathers

Body Lice on the feathers

Body lice and Northern Fowl Mites live on the birds and there are various ways to treat them. The first way is to dust the hen all over with Louse Powder making sure you brush it right down to the skin, especially around the vent - it is essential to repeat this after 5-7 days to kill the eggs that have hatched otherwise you will never stop the cycle.  A spot on Ivermectin treatment can also be used to treat lice and Northern Fowl Mite, but does require a withdrawl period from eating the eggs.  

If your hens are not allowed to free range, ensure they have access to dust baths (a large container or low bucket filled with fine sand) into which you can sprinkle Louse Powder so they coat themselves with Louse powder when they bath.

18. I think my hen is broody - what should I do?

 Typically a broody hen will not want to move off the nestbox, she will make a distinctive sound (see the video clip), fluff up her feathers if you put your hand near her and may even peck you.

 If you don't want to hatch chicks it is advisable to stop the broodiness.  She will not be laying eggs whilst broody and will get very run down.

The best way is to place her in a 'broody crate' - this needs to somewhere cool, light and uncomfortable so that she can't make a nest.  I use wire dog crates with no bedding, but it possible to construct something similar with wire (if you do an internet search for 'broody crate' there are many great ideas). 

 Put her in for 24 hours and see how she is behaving, if she is still clucking and showing broody behaviour leave her for another 24 hours and check again.  Some hens will stop the behaviour after 24 hours, others will take 3 or 4 days!

It is essential that she has free access to food and water in the cage.  Expect her to be very 'cross' - she will probably pace up and down looking agitated, but you have to be cruel to be kind and leave her in until she stops!