9 mo best layer stopped laying - help!

[Gabtods]

Our best layer, a 9 month old Golden Comet went from laying an egg neary every day, to not laying a single egg in over a month!
We can't figure out what is going on. She's too young to be molting i believe, and she's not being picked on ( in fact she's the only one that can fly over the fence and access even more grass/ greenery). Our other chickens (2 barred rock, a ery giant and a buff orpington), are all the same age and have continued to lay ... maybe a little slower than a few months ago, but still laying. Everyone is acting normal, so we are at a loss.
At first we thought she found a secret spot to lay, but have searched high and low and have not found anything - she always let out the loudest call too, and have not heard her call , so i really don't think she is laying.

Should we be concerned??

 

[aart]

in fact she's the only one that can fly over the fence and access even more grass/ greenery)

She may also being laying over there
Might need a higher fence or clip her wings.

 

[Gabtods]

She may also being laying over there
Might need a higher fence or clip her wings.

I wish - we’ve searched hi and low.... it’s still in our yard, just another section of it

 

[MamaMeetsFarm]

Egg bound?

 

[Beard4]

Our Golden comet (10 months) has stopped laying for a month now also.. I am wondering if our girl is molting, she started losing feathers on the front of her legs, now neck and back ( I am worried about mine also as today it feels like 9degrees and she is puffed up trying to stay warm but still not laying or acting normal ) I have also checked for mites/live but not sure what I am looking for.

her pins on the back of her neck look to show signs of very tiny feathers coming out of them

 

[MamaMeetsFarm]

Egg bound?

 

[Beard4]

Egg bound?

I can’t speak for @Gabtods but mine isn’t egg bound (initially when she stopped I assumed she was and took all necessary measures but no egg felt)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Egg bound?

Egg bound?

not laying a single egg in over a month!

Would not think egg bound if the hen has not been laying for over a month. A truly egg bound hen would very likely have died within 48 hours of egg binding.

A Golden Comet is a production bird. I would check her really well for lice/mites, make sure her crop is emptying overnight, consider getting a fecal float to see if worms are an issue, look to see if she is molting (do you see pin feathers coming in). Feel her abdomen for bloat/fluid that may indicate early stages of reproductive issues.

Some birds may just take a break. Hard to know what's going on - if she's active/eating/drinking, then wait it out and see what happens. IF production is your main goal for having her and she's not in molt and not producing, then process her for a meal.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

She could be hiding eggs or taking a break. All five of my spring pullets started laying from November to around the end of December and then stopped. Most of them have started laying again in the last few weeks. 2019's batch of pullets laid continuously all winter so I'm not sure what caused 2020's pullets to behave differently.

 

[Beard4]

Would not think egg bound if the hen has not been laying for over a month. A truly egg bound hen would very likely have died within 48 hours of egg binding.

A Golden Comet is a production bird. I would check her really well for lice/mites, make sure her crop is emptying overnight, consider getting a fecal float to see if worms are an issue, look to see if she is molting (do you see pin feathers coming in). Feel her abdomen for bloat/fluid that may indicate early stages of reproductive issues.

Some birds may just take a break. Hard to know what's going on - if she's active/eating/drinking, then wait it out and see what happens. IF production is your main goal for having her and she's not in molt and not producing, then process her for a meal.

So @Wyorp Rock seeing little brown feathers coming from the pins attached on her body.. that is the molt sign?? I haven't really seen them until today, but know she is uncomfortable to be touched the past few weeks, as I have tried looking for lice/mites back when she first stopped.

@Gabtods sorry for hijacking your thread