Chicken sitting for a while-Not laying

[Poultry4Health]

My Hans keep visiting nest boxes sit for a few minutes then come out making loud calls puc puc pucaaaac, but no eggs. Once I noted another hen checking a sitting hen under her feathers and on her turn sitting herself in the same nest box for a few minutes and out.No eggs in any nest.I have 7/hens in 40 sq ft coop. Any idea what's happening?

 

[aart]

My Hans keep visiting nest boxes sit for a few minutes then come out making loud calls puc puc pucaaaac, but no eggs. Once I noted another hen checking a sitting hen under her feathers and on her turn sitting herself in the same nest box for a few minutes and out.No eggs in any nest.I have 7/hens in 40 sq ft coop. Any idea what's happening?

More info needed.
How old are these birds?
Please add your location to your profile.

 

[elaineinspain]

My Hans keep visiting nest boxes sit for a few minutes then come out making loud calls puc puc pucaaaac, but no eggs. Once I noted another hen checking a sitting hen under her feathers and on her turn sitting herself in the same nest box for a few minutes and out.No eggs in any nest.I have 7/hens in 40 sq ft coop. Any idea what's happening?

how old are your birds? have they already started laying? Is it summer where you live?

 

[Poultry4Health]

My birds are over a year old and were laying perfectly. My location is near Islamabad, Pakistan.Its winter here, around 15 deg C at night. I'll add to my profile too.

 

[aart]

How much over a year.......how old in months?
Did they molt this fall?
When did this odd behavior start?

 

[elaineinspain]

are they free range? could they be laying somewhere else? Could something have scared them while they were in the coop? This sounds very odd to me....

 

[Poultry4Health]

Not free ranging full time but I let them go out for 30-60 minutes a day. Not they are not scared seem happy. But strange thing is they go to the nest and come out shouting pucaac puc puc without laying any egg.

 

[Poultry4Health]

How much over a year.......how old in months?
Did they molt this fall?
When did this odd behavior start?

I think over 18 months now. Yes they did molt but cant say which ones molted. They were giving zero eggs for a few weeks ( unless they secretly eating themselves) but today I happened to be there when one hen was in the nest and observed this strange behaviour. Another hen tried to share the nest and started poking her head under the sitting hen as if looking for eggs and then left. The sitting he kept sitting then after a while came out puc pucaac withouth any egg.

 

[elaineinspain]

maybe they've stopped laying because of not enough sunlight hours. although that wouldn't explain their strange nesting and calling behaviour...

 

[aart]

I'm betting they are coming back into lay after molting.
They can 'fake you out' when laying begins again,
just like pullets do when first starting.