Chickens stopped laying after one of them died

[Kristy1112]

First, sorry about your chicken. When one of mine died I didn't get hardly any eggs for about a week, then they slowly picked back up as the new pecking order was established. Be patient. Below is the response I got when I was going through this same thing. I did a cut/paste because I couldn't have said it better myself.




"I'm sorry for your loss!

Chickens are very social creatures who bond with both their kind as well us, as their caretakers. Lots of times, chickens bond more with another chicken of their same breed. Your leghorn is probably upset with the loss of her buddy. Plus, losing a bird can cause some major changes to take place within the flock pecking order which can also cause egg production to decrease.

So, in other words, it is very normal for a drop in egg production to occur during a time like this. Make sure your hens are receiving food, water, calcium and maybe even some apple cider vinegar to help keep them healthy.

"

Kristy

 

[Kristy1112]

I would also like to give my condolences on your hen....I too have recently lost my Rhode Island Red Goldie....I only have three I have a Transylvania naked neck turken and a molted Java.. Goldie was the bottom chicken Ren is my naked neck and she is top chicken which is weird she is the complete opposite of the description of a naked neck she is not quiet she is almost exactly like a Guinea fowl anyways I love her to death I mean I love all of them they've become my pets anyways Goldie ended up getting peritonitis and I had to end up putting her to sleep so my chickens now the two that I have left have quit laying for almost 2 weeks I think that it's got to be related to Goldie passing but she was the bottom chicken they didn't really care too much for her so I find it weird they stopped laying

 

[Brenda Faria]

Thank you for this thread. My little flock of 4 older girls lost their sister, a California white who I noticed had been anemic for sometime, passed away suddenly in the coup when I was called away to care for a family emergency. My husband, who has major back issues, could not get to poor Rosie where she lay in the coup. I took care of her when I returned, but Brunhilda, Ziggy and Prudence have been needing lots of TLC and have not been laying for these past 3 weeks. For 1 of those weeks, Brunhilda, my other white, went through a pretty drastic molt, but has now seemed to turn the corner and is putting on new feathers. It was so very hard on the girls. They do grieve and they were traumatized for having to have their dead sister in the coup for a couple of days. They are all getting older too, but I am content to just have them live happy lives as they adjust.