Does this RSL look egg bound?

[Kaesi2020]

She is 3.5 years old. Eating and drinking normally I think. She just has not layed an egg in months. She also tried sleeping in the nesting box tonight which is wierd for her (she never goes in there- even when she was laying eggs she would not lay them in there). I'm just worried with her age and the lack of egg laying that maybe something is wrong with her. It's been cold and she looks puffed up when in the coop but I had figured that was the cold Temps. Excuse the messy floor- I brought her in to take pictures and monitor her a bit. She was egg bound a year ago but she looked a lot stiffer and upright when that happened. She does not appear like that now but I wasnt sure if maybe it looks different this time? Hoping im just reading into things and she is okay. Thank you!

 

[micstrachan]

No, she does not look egg bound to me. She could have a laying disorder, or her body could just be taking a break. She looks like she could be molting a bit, and mine typically don’t lay while in the molt. Your girl does have a pretty red looking comb, however. Wonder if she’s laying internally or something like that. I have an almost 7 year old hen stop laying younger than your girl and she is still my most robust hen to this day. Point being, your girl might be perfectly fine. Does she have any symptoms at all?

 

[Kaesi2020]

No, she does not look egg bound to me. She could have a laying disorder, or her body could just be taking a break. She looks like she could be molting a bit, and mine typically don’t lay while in the molt. Your girl does have a pretty red looking comb, however. Wonder if she’s laying internally or something like that. I have an almost 7 year old hen stop laying younger than your girl and she is still my most robust hen to this day. Point being, your girl might be perfectly fine. Does she have any symptoms at all?

Thank you for your reply! She is molting. What does laying internally mean? Her only symptoms are less energetic (but it's winter and freezing so they all hunker down in the coop) and more sleeping on the floor of the coop overnight (she got pecked one night and decided to not sleep on the roosting bar for a bit). I think she eats and drinks fine. I know she is old and I think I'm just worried about losing her

 

[micstrachan]

Laying internally is when the egg goes backward through the oviduct due to reverse peristalsis. How well does she eat during molt? A couple of mine have starved themselves to the point of having neurological problems during molt before. Can you offer her something highly nutritious like dampened, crumble or pellets or baby bird formula? A little bit of cooked beef liver might give her a little boost, as well. If she doesn’t have symptoms, I wouldn’t worry too much, but I like to support mine with a little extra during molt. Wyorp Rock taught me to provide buttermilk poured over the feed during molt and my flock loves it.

 

[Kaesi2020]

Laying internally is when the egg goes backward through the oviduct due to reverse peristalsis. How well does she eat during molt? A couple of mine have starved themselves to the point of having neurological problems during molt before. Can you offer her something highly nutritious like dampened, crumble or pellets or baby bird formula? A little bit of cooked beef liver might give her a little boost, as well. If she doesn’t have symptoms, I wouldn’t worry too much, but I like to support mine with a little extra during molt. Wyorp Rock taught me to provide buttermilk poured over the feed during molt and my flock loves it.

Thank you for the suggestions! She seems to be eating fine- she still loves scrapes and fruit on the side of her pellets. I wonder if increasing protein would help- she eats 16% protein crumble right now.

 

[micstrachan]

I think it helps to bump up the protein during molt. Mine prefer crumble, so it’s easy to mix the layer feed half-half with starter/grower. Anyway, I’m glad your girl is eating well and I suspect she’s just fine. Very good of you to be so observant, though. It’ll probably serve your flock well moving forward. Watch for her to come back into lay after molt. If not, just keep an eye on her.

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry, I also forgot to clarify that another way a chicken can lay internally as if the yolk never makes it to the oviduct and just drops right into the body cavity.