2-year-old adopted Ameraucana hasn't returned to laying.

[lizgarf]

In January, I adopted two 2-year-old hens from a couple who wanted a break from chicken-keeping. They were finishing up their first molt. The non-Ameraucana, Marsha, (same coloring, but different comb, no beard, cream-colored egg), started laying after about a month, but the Ameraucana, Jan, still hasn't returned to laying. She seems healthy and happy, gets along with my other hens (who are all laying), is friendly, etc. My set-up is at least as nice as her prior set-up and we have a young rooster, who insists on mating with Jan whether she lays or not. Basically, I can't see any reason why she isn't laying while all the others are, other than maybe she is pining for her old friends? When Desi isn't trying to mate with her, they're good buds. Two years really isn't that old for an otherwise healthy hen - any ideas?

See, doesn't she seem well-adjusted?:

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Hmm... I'm a little stumped:/ The only ideas I have is that, like you said, she is homesick and misses her fellow feathered friends! (I know it would take me a while to get over leaving my previous family!! And Ameraucanas tend to be on the shy side which would make her even more prone to being stressed and sad about leaving her family.) Also, was there a rooster at her previous home? If not, she may be stressed and confused by this one's constant attention. But as long as she keeps acting healthy and happy I would say you just need to be patient!

 

[lizgarf]

Thanks for the response, MP!
There was no rooster at her prior home. Desi came of age a couple months after Jan's arrival, and he doesn't seem to be a big stress factor for Jan, but it's hard to tell. Other than not laying, her only noteworthy behavior is that she'll sleep alone on a far-off roost some nights. Sometimes Desi will sleep up there with her, like they're a couple, but other times she's up there on her own, and other times she sleeps on the main roost with everyone else.
She is an exceptionally friendly hen (jumps on my lap when she gets nervous), seems to get along with everyone, and I plan to keep her no matter what; but I do worry that she is unhealthy or unhappy, and I would certainly like to get some blue eggs!
Do some hens stop laying entirely at 2 years? Or maybe she never laid at all? (Her former owners weren't completely clear on who laid what, and she wasn't named until she came here).

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I'm glad she is fitting in for the most part And maybe she does have a genetic disorder or something. Only on rare occasions will a hen stop laying eggs at two years but it's not common, especially in ameracanas. But I'm glad you are going to keep her as many people kill and eat their hens who don't lay

 

[lizgarf]

In January, I adopted two 2-year-old hens from a couple who wanted a break from chicken-keeping. They were finishing up their first molt. The non-Ameraucana, Marsha, (same coloring, but different comb, no beard, cream-colored egg), started laying after about a month, but the Ameraucana, Jan, still hasn't returned to laying. She seems healthy and happy, gets along with my other hens (who are all laying), is friendly, etc. My set-up is at least as nice as her prior set-up and we have a young rooster, who insists on mating with Jan whether she lays or not. Basically, I can't see any reason why she isn't laying while all the others are, other than maybe she is pining for her old friends? When Desi isn't trying to mate with her, they're good buds. Two years really isn't that old for an otherwise healthy hen - any ideas?

See, doesn't she seem well-adjusted?:

OK, it's been another couple months and still no eggs from Jan! Anyone have any ideas out there? Marsha lays 2-3 days in a row, as do my other 2-year-old hens. Just nothing from the adopted Ameraucana, Jan. I had really wanted some blue eggs!

 

[lizgarf]

Update: 8.5 months since I adopted her at 2 years-old, Jan laid her first egg at my farm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm beyond excited. The timing is totally bizarre since it's September, and life in the coop has been extra-stressful because we just had a 9-chick, 3-broody-mama hatch. But, maybe it was the extra protein in the chickstarter, or maybe Jan was counting combs and decided she had better shape up or ship out. In any case, I'm really glad I held out and very happy to finally get a blue egg!

 

[aart]

Interesting...and Congrats!! Hope she keeps laying for you! (pic or it didn't happen)
Maybe it's all the hormones floating in the air with the hatching going on?

Strange that a rooster will tread a non laying hen.
Has her comb changed color and size?
What was she eating before the high protein chick starter became available to her?

 

[lizgarf]

Interesting...and Congrats!! Hope she keeps laying for you! (pic or it didn't happen)
Maybe it's all the hormones floating in the air with the hatching going on?

Strange that a rooster will tread a non laying hen.
Has her comb changed color and size?
What was she eating before the high protein chick starter became available to her?

Haha! Of course I took pics! I was pretty excited, even if it's only 44 grams.

(not her feather, by the way. It might have been our roo's, who I caught showing her the nest a few days ago).

Only one other hen is laying right now, between the molts and my broodzillas making life hard for everyone, so I'm really hoping she keeps at it and I'll get enough eggs for myself, at least.
To answer your other questions, her comb has been much brighter the past few days. Actually, yesterday I noticed her bright red comb, and then she was missing at treat time, so I figured she was in the nest for the first time since I brought her home, and I had high hopes for a blue egg, but it wasn't until all the above was repeated today that she laid her egg. Since the hatch, they've all been eating chick-starter, which I figured would be good for the hens at molt time anyway, and before that she ate either layer feed or finisher feed from a local organic feed company, and of which the only difference is calcium content. I always leave out oyster shells. I did give her a bit of a talking-to the other day about laying, what with the suddenly full coop and only one other hen laying, and maybe that helped. The only other thing I can think of is that about 6 weeks ago, I realized she had lice. Other members of the flock also did (but not the broodies, luckily), and it didn't seem to affect their laying, but maybe Jan was more sensitive to it. It's possible she brought it with her from her old home. In any case, I treated them for lice when I discovered it, so that could have been one of the factors that has since paved the way for her sudden return to reproduction.

My rooster is young and he only has 7 hens to mate with (4 who don't go broody). Actually, Jan has almost always been his favorite. I think he's just into beards.
Here's Jan: