Chicken Stopped Laying

MyRedStarz

In the Brooder
8 Years
May 29, 2011
43
0
32
Hi...Hoping someone can help answer this question. I have three 2 year old Red Star hens. They all have been laying beautifully for the last 2 years until about 1.5 months ago, one of them got attacked by my dumb dog. She wasn't seriously injured (no puncture wounds, etc). She has been eating and drinking and acting fine with the exception of not laying since. I've noticed the last week or so that she is losing a lot of feathers and is also now going into the nesting box and pooping in there. I've also noticed she lost her place in the pecking order and is now the other 2 hens kinda pick on her. I did initially separate her off from the flock into a triage coop to make sure she was ok but put her back in with the others when I saw she was fine (5 days later). Has anyone had experience with this type of behavior? Did stress throw her into molting and now she stopped laying or do you think there is something wrong with her? Any info would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Desiree
 
stress can cause them to stop laying for awhile . I'd keep a very close eye on her if she's going into the nesting box but not laying just to make sure she's not egg bound or laying internally. if she's not its likely the stress of the attack that threw her lay off. when I first bought my pullet she was laying at the breeders but the move to my house and the stress of the move threw her off her lay for almost 2 months! now she lays for me almost every day! it just took time for her to be comfortable again. I'm thinking your bird will be the same and begin laying when she is comfortable again. just keep a good watch making sure she's not binding or anything of that nature.
 
My Weatan Americauna stopped laying for about 2 months. Nothing tramatic happened (that I know of). She is in her own pen with another really old bantam hen. Its my special needs ward. These 2 hens are at the bottom of the pecking order and they are constantly picked on by the others. So I made them a special pen. The Americauna has a crazy limp (Not sure what happend). They get along great and dont fight with each other.

One day she stopped laying. She didnt molt or act strangely. Then one day - Viola. Blue Egg. She has been laying about 5 eggs a week since then. And that was several months ago.

Nothing changed as far as diet or her pen. It was the weirdest thing.
 
I can't answer your question but do have the same question if anyone has any further insight.

We have a green egg layer that just stopped laying about 2 1/2 weeks ago. At that time, she was in a nesting box and kept moving back and forth wherever another hen laid an egg. I finally had to collect the eggs and she didn't like it, pecked at me, but jumped out. I can't get close to her at all. She's extremely flighty and scared. The other hens chase her away if she comes to the feeding trough, or to food on the ground. She's very jumpy. She doesn't pick on anyone, but everyone picks on her.

The next day, I thought she was getting sick - she just moped around, didn't seem to even try to eat, stayed far away from the others. She acted like that for about 2-3 days and seemed to be acting her normal after that. I've not seen her in a nesting box again until yesterday, when she was sitting on another's eggs again. I left her alone and she got out on her own after about an hour. But no egg from her.

If she was egg bound or sick in any other way, wouldn't she be dead by now? I can't catch her to check her out.
 
I can't answer your question but do have the same question if anyone has any further insight.

We have a green egg layer that just stopped laying about 2 1/2 weeks ago. At that time, she was in a nesting box and kept moving back and forth wherever another hen laid an egg. I finally had to collect the eggs and she didn't like it, pecked at me, but jumped out. I can't get close to her at all. She's extremely flighty and scared. The other hens chase her away if she comes to the feeding trough, or to food on the ground. She's very jumpy. She doesn't pick on anyone, but everyone picks on her.

The next day, I thought she was getting sick - she just moped around, didn't seem to even try to eat, stayed far away from the others. She acted like that for about 2-3 days and seemed to be acting her normal after that. I've not seen her in a nesting box again until yesterday, when she was sitting on another's eggs again. I left her alone and she got out on her own after about an hour. But no egg from her.

If she was egg bound or sick in any other way, wouldn't she be dead by now? I can't catch her to check her out.
Update:
Three weeks to the day, our EE hen started laying again! For 2days now, we've gotten a little green egg. So I have no idea what made her stop. I have been laying food around the edge of the pen, though, so it's possible she may be getting more food. Everyone else makes a beeline for the trough in the morning when I let them out. She just wanders around, waiting for her turn; but now she has something to eat in places they don't bother with!

MyRedStarz: Has your hen started laying again yet?
 
Quote: Update: Little Greenie laid for 2days, then took 2 more days off, and now has laid for 3 days again. Wonder if this is becoming a pattern? Do hens do this?
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