Why has my chicken never laid an egg?!?

[Bccblue88]

I have a two year old Ameraucana. I got her from a hatchery when she was a year. They told me she was laying. She had mites and lice, but I got her all cleaned up and healthy within two months. She seems pretty happy though she is on the bottom of the pecking order. She might have laid 2 eggs about 6 months ago...maybe....
Why on earth is she not laying!?

I thought maybe she was too young, but by now she would definately be old enough.

 

[Donut Chickie]

A reason could be that if you have other chickens the other chickens could be eating her eggs or she could be eating her own eggs. I had the same problem until I discovered they eat their own eggs!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Or, maybe after you brought her home she went into moult (some moult hard, some you can hardly tell). Compound that with the shorter daylight hours that come with this time of year and you don't usually see eggs until Spring. Maybe she's older than the hatchery thought. Who knows. This time of year, though, I don't really expect eggs from older ladies until Spring when the days are longer. Good luck.
Nikki

 

[HEChicken]

My guess would be she is a lot older than you think. If she was only a year when you got her and you've had her a year, she should be over the stress of the move, and you've had her long enough to see her through different seasons, molt etc. So the potential reasons for not laying are that she has an egg laying problem (for example, if she expelled an ovary she will no long lay), she or the other hens are eating her eggs (do you have other laying hens? If you are able to gather eggs every day, there is less likelihood you have an egg eater as they typically do not discriminate, but will eat any egg), she is hiding her eggs, or, she is too old to lay. Since you did get a couple of eggs, I tend to think she is too old to lay, and the couple you got were her "winding down" efforts.

 

[JanetS]

My sister-in-law has a hen that has never laid one egg. She bought her as a 2 day old chick. She is healthy and happy, just no eggs. She is almost 2 years old now.

 

[colleen123]

You know I have the same problem I have a buff orphingto no eggs either not a one she is making sounds though and I for shure thought ok mabe soon but nothing she is of age her comb is bright red and when I go by to pet her she does the squat but nothing. What am I doing wrong

 

[Bccblue88]

My chicken finally started laying! Now she is one of my best producers. Once I started talking about making chicken stew, the eggs started coming!

No idea why she was so late but whatever. Maybe if you suggest making her dinner she will get the idea

 

[The ThymeKeeper]

My sister-in-law has a hen that has never laid one egg. She bought her as a 2 day old chick. She is healthy and happy, just no eggs. She is almost 2 years old now.

Well, I'm glad to read that! I have a nine month old Ameraucana whom I don't believe has ever laid an egg - all her sisters have though. Had been wondering if that was possible.

 

[JanetS]

Thymekeeper- I wrote that over a year ago and sister in law's chicken still has not laid one egg....so it can happen.

 

[mdelhomme]

I have an EE that is now over a year old. I got her and her sister at two days old. Her sister laid beautiful green eggs daily starting at about 20 weeks, then just up and died last fall. We found her on the floor of the coop one morning. The remaining chicken squats, does egg song and checks out the next boxes but still hasn't ever laid an egg. We have a barred rock of the same age that also lays almost daily, and I got another EE this spring that has now started laying (again about 20 weeks), but her eggs are brown, not green. The older EE is definitely a slacker.