Chicken stopped laying

[carolined1085]

Hi,

New to chicken keeping and also in the UK. I have 3 chickens, 2 hybrids which have both been laying once a day since I had them. I've had them for about 2 months and they were approx. 3 months old when I got them (or so I was told). One of them has stopped laying, she has not layed for 10 days now. I've checked all over the run to make sure she is not laying anywhere else. In herself she is fine, eating, drinking and healthy. Nothing has changed in terms of their routine or food. Should I be worried??

Also I have a bantam x Frizzle who is now 6 months old and she has not started to lay as yet. I've tried leaving eggs in the nesting boxes but that hasn't worked. Is there anything else I could do to try and encourage her to lay?

Thanks a lot!!

Caroline

 

[sourland]

It's not unusual for hens to take an occasional break from laying. The bantam was bred more for 'pretty' than for production. Her egg laying will be sporadic at best.

 

[aart]

Hi,

New to chicken keeping and also in the UK. I have 3 chickens, 2 hybrids which have both been laying once a day since I had them. I've had them for about 2 months and they were approx. 3 months old when I got them (or so I was told). One of them has stopped laying, she has not layed for 10 days now. I've checked all over the run to make sure she is not laying anywhere else. In herself she is fine, eating, drinking and healthy. Nothing has changed in terms of their routine or food. Should I be worried??

Also I have a bantam x Frizzle who is now 6 months old and she has not started to lay as yet. I've tried leaving eggs in the nesting boxes but that hasn't worked. Is there anything else I could do to try and encourage her to lay?

Thanks a lot!!

Caroline

They may have been older than 3 months if they've been laying since you got them.
Hybrids (ei: high production birds here) do lay quite young (12 weeks is pushing it tho 6 is possible) and they usually don't take 'breaks' like other breeds might, especially in their first year. You might try confining them to the coop for a few days just to be sure she doesn't have another nesting spot out in the run area, unless your run is very small and completely barren...they can be very sneaky, have read numerous stories of nests hidden in places one would never think to look.

Don't know much about bantams and sourland has covered that, but wanted to add that baiting nests with fake egg won't encourage them when to lay, just where to lay once their bodies are ready to produce an egg.