Chicken Lady

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Nanadogmom

Nanadogmom

Hatching
5 Years
Oct 12, 2014
7
0
7
Can somebody please tell me why after almost a year my one chicken out of 4 has stop laying eggs. She was also being bullied by two of the others.

How can I put her back in the pen with the other 3 without them attching her? Even when I let them out of the pen 2 of them still try to chase and attack her. She will run behind me to get away from them. It has been mos since she has laid any eggs. When I took her out of the pen. Her tail was down, her comb was laid over, since she has been a pen by herself attached to the other her tail is up, comb is up. They all sit on the same branch, I stuck it though both pens. All 4 set on,just a fence between her and the other 3. I need help, I have 6 new babies and I dont wont the older ones pecking on them. I hope to have all 10 them in a pen together. Please help me.
 
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Welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
We're glad to have you.

There are many reasons why she has temporaily stopped laying. My first guess is that she's getting ready to molt, or is beginning to molt. Usually, at a year old, a chicken begins its first molt. This is especially common in the fall and winter. Chickens almost always stop laying before, during, and for a short time after the molt. In 3 months or so, she should start laying again (if it's a molt). If she's molting, you'll notice her losing feathers, often times starting with the head and neck.

Another possible reason is the decreasing daylight hours. Throughout much of the world (including the United States), daylight hours are decreasing. Most hens slow down in laying or stop laying in the fall and winter. To keep them laying, many people provide supplemental lighting. Ideally, laying hens need at least 14 hours of light daily to keep on laying well. When light falls below that, egg production decreases. In the spring, she should start back up again.

Another thought is, could she be egg bound? When did she stop laying? And, is she acting sick otherwise? Egg binding is when the egg gets stuck in the reproductive tract. Generally, it causes birds to walk around like penguins, have a swollen, hard abdomen, and act sick in general.

Other diseases can make chickens feel poorly, resulting in lowered egg production. But, if she's acting normal, it's unlikely that she's sick.

Stress causes decrease in egg production. Has any significant stressor occured lately (predator attack, period without feed/water, etc)? You said that she is getting picked on by the other birds. This could lead to stress, and therefore reduced laying.

These are just some of the reasons why you aren't getting eggs from her. The most likely, in my opinion, is that she's going to begin a molt. Daylight hours are almost certainly contributing to it as well. There are other possible causes of lack of eggs, such as that she could be hiding them, but I doubt that that is the reason.

Here is a good link on why hens stop/slow down in egg production. Perhaps it'll add more insight to why your bird is no longer laying. I've also included a good article on molting, in case that's what's going on with her:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/why-are-my-hens-not-laying

Molting:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/12/molting-what-is-it-and-how-to-manage-it.html

Good luck with her!
 
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Stop the bullying, and I bet she resumes laying. She is too stressed - usually a rooster causes that. Some chickens get so badly bullied or pecked at, they are afraid to either leave the coop, or join the others at dusk. They know if the others are around, they will be after her.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. The other members have given you some good advice on why your hen may have stopped laying. Also, you need to look around and make sure she is not laying in a hidden nest somewhere rather than the nest box. Chicken owners often think their hens have stopped laying only to find the eggs later in a hidden nest (sometimes at a considerable distance from the coop). Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting eggs from your hen again.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some great advice from above posters. Hope you are able to figure out what is going on with your hen.
 

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