Chicken stopped laying and not eating much - is she ill or is it normal?

[Curlykale]

My 29 week old Lakenvelder has been laying almost daily since she was about 22 weeks old, but hasn't laid an egg now for 2 weeks. She seems fine in herself but doesn't seem to be eating very much (layers pellets) but if I give her corn or mealworms in the evenings she takes it. Is it normal for them to eat less when the days get shorter? What foods can I give her to try and get her to eat more? I have given her tinned sweetcorn which she likes - is there anything else that will tempt her and do her some good?

Since she started laying she has been quite easy to catch as she squats when I put my hand over her but she hasn't been doing this lately and doesn't want to be caught. I have noticed some of her tiny fluffy white feathers in the hen-house in the mornings and wondered if she is starting to moult (but I thought they only started moulting in their second year?). Could she be egg-bound? So many questions! Oh, another thing - I've noticed that both of the chickens sometimes eat the little fluffy feathers if they have fallen on the floor of the run - is that normal? Our other chicken laid her very first egg today - aged 25 weeks! Any advice gratefully received

[jessmorris]

My hens will peck at anything which looks edible including wood shavings. If she's having good pellets she shouldn't be missing anything from her diet but if she's moulting you might want to up her protein for a couple of weeks. Someome with more experience may be along soon with better advice....is she's not laying and not squatting maybe she's stopped for the winter??...

[chris]

As JM says.. if she's a purebred Lakenvelder then perhaps she's shutting down for winter - would be my guess!

In terms of her being egg bound, does she repeatedly go into the nestbox and try to lay? If not, I doubt it.

Have you checked for redmite?

[OverWyreGrower]

Most of my purebreeds (Barnevelders, Vorwerks and Welsummers) have pretty much stopped laying now for the year - I probably won't get more an about an egg a week until March (if I'm lucky!!)

I've just picked up some Buss Sussex who are a year old and I'm not even expecting them to lay until next year now....

[RichmondHens]

Does she look like she should be in lay still (at 29 weeks I would expect her to be), ie big red fleshy comb, pin bones wide apart etc? Some breeds are more sensitive to falling light levels than others though, and I don't have experience of keeping Lakenvelders. My Welsummers only have to see one yellow leaf in August and they stop! On the other hand my Sussex gang are still going strong and have been doing so since late January (and one is 6 years old). If she appears otherwise fit and well then you have nothing really to worry about. Hold off the corn and treats and make sure she is getting enough pellet. Chickens do not starve themselves and don't fill her up with corn just because you think she has not eaten much pellet. If they are confined within a run the feather eating may just be born from a desire to forage and hanging bunches of greenstuff for them to peck at may help with this. Feather eating in itself is not harmful (unless they are pecking them from each other) and provides valuable protein but you have to address why they are doing it.