21 month old hens not layed in 4 months

[Possum-Pie]

Background: 4 hens 2 Austrolorps, 1 Bard Rock, 1 Orpington, 1 Rooster. Born Feb 2021. Began laying in June 2021 and gave me 3 eggs/day on average that whole summer and autumn. Slowed to maybe 2 eggs/day last winter (a string of Christmas lights added light to equal 12hrs/day). Back to 3/day last spring up until this past July. They eat Layer pellets and have supp. oyster shells (which they rarely touch). Have a huge 12' X16' coop, and a 10'X70' run plus a movable tractor.

Suddenly this past July the eggs started having soft shells and decreased production to 1egg/day by end of July. Eggs were cracking and hens were eating them. I always knew when this was happening b/c I could see the wet spot/ leftover shells in the brooder boxes.
The Bard Rock began bullying the Orpington when she got broody about the same time the production slowed. I thought stress may be the cause. The bullying has greatly decreased (although the Bard is still alpha female and pushes the others out of her way). By August a very slow molt began with most of the 4 hens It seemed to take forever but they are mostly over the molt now. Egg production has NEVER been more than 1 egg/day since July (4 months).

1. I suspect that one hen has never laid an egg (I've never ever gotten 4 eggs in a day) but can't tell which (they all sit in the brooder boxes at some time during the day.
2. I suspect that the Orpington has been laying all along (often my egg has a buff feather attached).
3. This means the two Austrolorps and Bard Rock have not laid a single egg since July.

A real mystery! Any suggestions?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

First, let's check to see if they ARE laying, and just gotten very good at eating all the evidence - or for certain not laying at all.
Have you checked their abdomens and vent? If you can lay three fingers width between the hip bones, and four fingers between sternum and hip bones - and their bellies are soft and pliable - and the vent is moist and pinkish colored (not yellow) - and the comb and wattles are bright red --- they are very likely laying eggs somewhere you haven't found yet, or they're eating every bit of evidence.

It's hard to make that call during molting season. I can never decide if the non-layers are just taking a break during molt, or if they really do have a reproductive issue. If I don't catch the problems before molt, then I give them a pass until spring and longer daylight hours.

Others here may have better feedback for you. All I can suggest is either: 1. Look for signs of a health issue, or 2. Put a security or game camera on the nesting boxes so you can watch what's going on.

 

[Possum-Pie]

First, let's check to see if they ARE laying, and just gotten very good at eating all the evidence - or for certain not laying at all.
Have you checked their abdomens and vent? If you can lay three fingers width between the hip bones, and four fingers between sternum and hip bones - and their bellies are soft and pliable - and the vent is moist and pinkish colored (not yellow) - and the comb and wattles are bright red --- they are very likely laying eggs somewhere you haven't found yet, or they're eating every bit of evidence.

It's hard to make that call during molting season. I can never decide if the non-layers are just taking a break during molt, or if they really do have a reproductive issue. If I don't catch the problems before molt, then I give them a pass until spring and longer daylight hours.

Others here may have better feedback for you. All I can suggest is either: 1. Look for signs of a health issue, or 2. Put a security or game camera on the nesting boxes so you can watch what's going on.

BarnyardChaos, thanks for the fast reply. Their vents appear healthy. I know that they are not egg-bound as that is an emergency and they wouldn't have lasted this long. I'm 99% sure they aren't eating or hiding the eggs. I walk the perimeter of the run and there are no places where they could secret eggs. The 3 brooder boxes are plywood with straw in each. They have pushed the straw into a nest where the center is bare wood. Even if they ate the whole egg, there would be traces of yolk/white in the plywood. Besides, the hens and rooster all kick up a royal fuss when someone lays an egg and come to think of it, I haven't heard the "announcement" in quite a while.

How long do they stop laying while molting? Perhaps this slow molt just happened to occur right after the soft-shell problem...Rough guess the molt lasted about 10 weeks, less for the Orpington.
I guess I should get a trailcam for the coop to know for sure what is going on.

Lastly, is it possible that one hen has never laid an egg? If one of my hens is sterile, I'd like to know it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Perhaps this slow molt just happened to occur right after the soft-shell problem

It's very common for hens to lay wonky eggs either when going into molt or when coming out of molt.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How long do they stop laying while molting?

Depends on the birds. None of mine lay while molting, and most do not resume laying after molt (even an early molt like July) until the day length starts increasing again, like Feb/March.

Lastly, is it possible that one hen has never laid an egg

Yes, there are duds. I do have a dud bird who is simply decorative - healthy and active, but has never laid (or at most, laid 2 eggs, based on color/size). Hard to know for sure unless you can positively match bird (i.e. in my flock all the birds lay different colors of eggs, sizes, shapes, so I can ID them by catching the bird laying, and then matching subsequent eggs to that).

 

[Possum-Pie]

What luck...When eggs were $1/dozen my hens were giving me 21 eggs/week. Now that inflation has pushed eggs to $5/dozen my hens give me 5 eggs/week. I bought eggs for the first time in over a year and about choked when I saw the price and the tiny size of the "large" eggs...My hens were giving me Jumbo eggs, I couldn't even close the lid to the egg carton sometimes! I wasn't going to do the Christmas lights again this year, but I may, just to see if we can get 1 dozen eggs/week this winter.

I'm too much of an animal lover to kill the Bard Rock, but it burns my butt to think that I'm feeding her and getting nothing in return except her bullying the others. Layer pellets like everything else have skyrocketed in price--I may ask my neighbor to sell her at auction. He sells his extra hens and doesn't ask what the buyers plan to do with them...neither one of us wants to think about it.
I swore when my wife and I got them that I wasn't going to get attached, no names, no petting, etc. but I can't help but fall in love with the laid-back Buff Orpington and the "runt" Austrolorp. I always cheer for the underdog.