do they ever take time off from laying?

[ratlummountain]

i hadn't realized this post was active again ...
thanks for all the reply's and links!

i have an update on greta too.

after 2 - 2.5 weeks of no eggs and back to normal behavior, 2 days ago she laid a thin shelled small egg and i was thrilled. i figured she just decided to take a break from popping out eggs and was now back into the swing of things.
no egg yesterday.
then today, literally just as i pulled into the driveway she was sqautting down in the run and laid what i thought was a shell less egg. i ran over and there was a perfectly formed yolk and clear fluid laying there (kinda looked like when you crack an egg into the frying pan)
upon further examination of greta's vent, there was the soft shell still partially stuck inside her.
much to my friends horror i proceeded to pull it out.

upon reading some of those links i'm beginning to think it might be peritonitis, because i have caught her on the nest once with no egg produced.

i suppose time will tell ...

i'm keeping my fingers crossed though that she indeed just took time off and upon starting to lay again she had a soft shelled egg "incident" ... ?