Egg laying vacation

[KDbeads]

I think my hen has decided she's on vacation or something, no eggs since Sunday 9/6. No evidence of molting though I wouldn't toss that out completely.
We built a new run and moved the coop on Sunday before her last egg, which she laid on the ground instead of her usual planter pail, this doubled and then some the living space. That evening we had a bit of trouble with the pullets and roo and decided to integrate the hen with the pullets and remove the roo. Monday morning I brought in a nice 6 section laying box and removed the planter pails. Wednesday it started raining and hasn't stopped. She seems very much like she's wanting to get out and get to the roo, tries to escape every time I open the coop door. Don't think the pullets are eating the eggs, they were in there for her last egg and it was untouched, plus I'm out there as often as I can be to check, about every hour or 2 or anytime I hear her screech (not a really nice egg song either).

Could all the changes be affecting her bad enough to not lay? We don't know her age but we think she's probably around a year old and she's a mutt, she was laying steadily until this week, has access to all the grit, oyster/egg shell, layer pellets she can possibly want and we give treats daily, not a whole lot but a handful of scraps at least. Not upset or anything just concerned.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I can't really help you, I'm still new to this too. But I can tell you Chicken's DON'T like change AT ALL.

 

[KDbeads]

Well, she went from being a free range neighborhood stray to living in a 4x6 coop and still gave me eggs, so I think it's more about the new girls and the missing roo changes than the coop. Though she could just be having a bad week like we are having

 

[KDbeads]

So still no eggs since 9/6. We've had her on layer pellets, crushed shell available but not touched. She looks like she's just rolled out of bed but still no signs of molting, everyone else is molting though.
I check every hour or so but nothing. Not catching any egg eating either, she doesn't allow the pullets near her anyway so I'm not thinking they dare to get close enough to try pecking an egg.
I do give kitchen scraps every few days and anytime I find a peach too ripe I toss it in the run but she usually avoids the peaches (The girls LOVE them).
I flipped her over twice this week and gave her a good feeling over but no eggs to be felt and she's gained weight since being with us (GOOD).

So what do ya think? A very slow to molt mutt? Any other ideas? Want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

 

[KDbeads]

Still nothing. Starting to worry a bit here because she doesn't appear to be loosing any feathers like she would be molting. What else do I need to be watching/looking for?

 

[gritsar]

No signs of illness whatsoever? Have you checked every single place she has access to, to be sure she's not hiding the eggs?
I would assume that she's being slow to adjust to the changes in her enviroment.
I noticed about a weeks decrease in laying before I noticed my hens were starting to molt. Some, like Maggie, I had to look close at first to be sure they were actually molting. She was growing in new feathers as fast as she lost them.

 

[KDbeads]

Very healthy bird from what I can tell, she's even put on weight since she's been here, looks a heck of a lot better. The only feathers I see are from the pullets, totally different color than she is. No mites or lice, I even went over her with my little pocket microscope to be sure. Had a fecal run at the vet, no worms, parasites, or the like. The run is barely big enough for the four of them and there's nowhere she could hide anything, we made sure of that when we built it.
I'm just totally stumped. Other than lingering stress from being confined I just have no idea, but then she laid every day for the first week we had her in the coop without the run attached

 

[happi752]

change = stress. stress = no egg. give her a few more days to adjust.

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Mine took a vacation this summer (and I can't blame it on the heat -- wasn't very hot). They don't like change. Mine were used to free ranging and I had to keep them in the outdoor run for a while (planted grass seed, tomatoes ripening, and foxes took up residence nearby). They are laying again normally, but they took a month long vacation. So give them time.

 

[duckduckchicken]

My girls are having the same problem. I have not had eggs for days. They are not molting. I am wondering if it is because the days are getting shorter. I see them confused at dusk. Please pass on any help you get..TKS- The Eggless family