Grey Gables
Songster
Hello!
This is not an emergency, but my question still fits in this category I believe. I'm looking for people who have had experience with the hormone implant. I've done some searches on the forums and I'm not finding many firsthand accounts or details on how the implant is working out for their hen.
Backstory: I have a 4.5 year old Black Australorp hen whom I took into my vet for a suspected broken egg. (My vet has chickens of her own and sees exotics.) No sign of a broken egg inside but upon examination, vet said my hen has SO MANY egg follicles inside... even asking me to confirm her age. I also told her that my hen has not really slowed down laying wise. She still lays 4 eggs a week on average. She suspects she has some sort of reproductive disorder and recommended I try the implant. I think she's typically hesitant to do the implant, but she knows that my chickens are my pets (I will never be consuming them). She warned me not to eat her eggs if she were to start laying again while on the implant. I was told the implant lasts 6-9 months, depending on the chicken.
She's had the implant now for almost two weeks. I haven't seen her acting weird in any way, no noticeable side effects. She's been doing great. But, in the last several days, she has laid two eggs. I will be contacting my vet to ask about this to see if it's normal, if it's not normal, etc. But I was hoping others may share their experiences with me. How common is it for a chicken to lay while it's got the implant? Anyone know?
If the implant completely stopped her laying, I'd be open to continuing to get the implant. I assume it will greatly reduce the chances of her having a reproductive issue, hopefully prolonging her life, or at least her quality of life. It's hard to stomach the cost every 6-9 months if it's not going to stop the laying though.
Other notes I thought may be worth mentioning but am uncertain if they're linked to her reproductive disorder:
• She is the broodiest girl. Is happy to stay broody even if I block off nesting boxes -- she'll perch on her roost and brood away. I have figured out how to break her of her broodiness, although it takes several days to a week. She tends to go broody every month during the late spring and summer.
• She's never been great at molting. She tends to lose a handful of feathers in the fall, then stops molting. She then will attempt to finish her molt in December/January (when it's cold here in Ohio)... which has always worried me.
Thanks in advance for any info, details, etc. Just hoping to gain some insight or perspective on how to move forward with my hen.
This is not an emergency, but my question still fits in this category I believe. I'm looking for people who have had experience with the hormone implant. I've done some searches on the forums and I'm not finding many firsthand accounts or details on how the implant is working out for their hen.
Backstory: I have a 4.5 year old Black Australorp hen whom I took into my vet for a suspected broken egg. (My vet has chickens of her own and sees exotics.) No sign of a broken egg inside but upon examination, vet said my hen has SO MANY egg follicles inside... even asking me to confirm her age. I also told her that my hen has not really slowed down laying wise. She still lays 4 eggs a week on average. She suspects she has some sort of reproductive disorder and recommended I try the implant. I think she's typically hesitant to do the implant, but she knows that my chickens are my pets (I will never be consuming them). She warned me not to eat her eggs if she were to start laying again while on the implant. I was told the implant lasts 6-9 months, depending on the chicken.
She's had the implant now for almost two weeks. I haven't seen her acting weird in any way, no noticeable side effects. She's been doing great. But, in the last several days, she has laid two eggs. I will be contacting my vet to ask about this to see if it's normal, if it's not normal, etc. But I was hoping others may share their experiences with me. How common is it for a chicken to lay while it's got the implant? Anyone know?
If the implant completely stopped her laying, I'd be open to continuing to get the implant. I assume it will greatly reduce the chances of her having a reproductive issue, hopefully prolonging her life, or at least her quality of life. It's hard to stomach the cost every 6-9 months if it's not going to stop the laying though.
Other notes I thought may be worth mentioning but am uncertain if they're linked to her reproductive disorder:
• She is the broodiest girl. Is happy to stay broody even if I block off nesting boxes -- she'll perch on her roost and brood away. I have figured out how to break her of her broodiness, although it takes several days to a week. She tends to go broody every month during the late spring and summer.
• She's never been great at molting. She tends to lose a handful of feathers in the fall, then stops molting. She then will attempt to finish her molt in December/January (when it's cold here in Ohio)... which has always worried me.
Thanks in advance for any info, details, etc. Just hoping to gain some insight or perspective on how to move forward with my hen.
