EE pullet done for the season?

[maryn7]

My EE has been a little bit of a spotty layer (born end of March, started laying in Aug). She's had double yolkers and at least one soft shell egg. But she'd been laying pretty consistently since then.

Maybe three days ago I found some pretty obvious dried yolk on the back of the head of my RIR, so I think perhaps another soft shell was around somewhere and she got into it.

But I haven't had any eggs or evidence of eggs (aside from her greedy sister's head) from the EE for the past four days or so.

They get yard time in the evening - and today, and today only - she seems like she wants to flop down in a little hole they've made in the yard. She definitely looked like she was sitting on a nest (though it's hard to tell sometimes; these are the laziest group of pullets - they're always laying around somewhere). I grabbed her and moved her to the egg box - but she definitely did not want to be in there.

She seems happy and healthy otherwise - tail up, hungry, running around - though she seems... heavy? When she's flying across the yard, she's definitely not as high as she usually is and it's kind of a production. And when she jumped out of the egg box just now, she sort of landed belly-first in the shavings before standing up and running off.

External exam seemed all normal. I didn't get involved in an internal exam because she seems *fine* - just eggless.

Days are definitely getting shorter, and she's my most inconsistent layer - so if anyone was going to break for their first winter, it'd be her. Tbh I wouldn't have written at all if she hadn't done the ungraceful dismount into the shavings just now. Any ideas other than she's taking a break? Thanks!

 

[UncleDougsChickens]

Could have just been a bad landing, but even my consistent girls have slowed down, partly due to molting, colder weather and shorter days.

 

[Tonyroo]

Not all pullets will lay through winter. It's good for chickens to take a break from laying.

 

[UncleDougsChickens]

Not all pullets will lay through winter. It's good for chickens to take a break from laying.

I feel bad when I have to buy eggs from the store when I have 20 hens outside snacking away while barely laying in the winter

 

[maryn7]

The laying definitely seems to be related to the leg problem.

She can run, but her jump button is out of whack. She's doing a few little hops, but she's doing her best to work around jumping up on things, and especially jumping down. (So I'm sure my attempt to put her in the egg box only exacerbated things). And I think that's why flying isn't so great - she's got to do a jump to lift off.

So I think she's got a bit of a sore leg, maybe a sprain. I gave her a once over today, but couldn't find anything that seemed amiss. But she's doing a lot of just sitting down, chilling out in the run - and sometimes when I let them out in the yard. And she's definitely doing a little mini-molt, so she must have done something stressful.

But she definitely *can* move around, and is eating, drinking and tail up. So I'm just trying to let her take it easy. And I've been trying to put her up on the roost if I catch her before bed.

Anything else I should consider? If she couldn't walk or run, I'd be more concerned - but it seems like she is just trying to do what I'd do if I twisted something. But I guess it has been about a week at this point.