Have you ever had a chicken stop laying permanently?

[alicia-TX]

I have a black star that will be 4 in March. About 2 years ago she started molting and stopped laying. I expected her to start again but she never did. It has been about two years. She is seemingly healthy and is actuall the only hen who has never been sick & put in ICU. She just stopped laying. No signs of egg eating. I guess she laid them all early and that's that.

Weird.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, some birds "retire" early, some never start at all (duds!) I have a BO that stopped laying around 3 years or so, and she's heading towards 7 yrs old now.

 

[MysteryChicken]

My oldest hen stopped laying at around 6yrs, & died in my arms on Thanksgiving Day(2021) at the age of 8-9yrs.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have a dud who laid once or twice a week for maybe half a year and then quit. I have a few older girls who have slowed down. They may have stopped come spring. We will see.

 

[alicia-TX]

Thanks for all of the input. I did not know they just stopped laying all-together so early. Lucky for this one she has a great personality

 

[tlcmurphy]

I have a 2 year old BO that laid ~6 eggs per week for almost 10 months. She laid her last egg in July (6 months ago), and I suspect she won’t lay again. She’s also never molted, although her sisters did, big time.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

my 5 CT hens will be 2 years old in May. They ALL stopped laying in late September this year and i have had ZERO eggs from anyone since than! until yesterday! I cant believe it! I know it was a fluke tho. It was a really nice egg that Delicious delivered without issue. I look forward to the spring to see if they start laying again. They all molted for the first time ever and I think they are all just about done, looking all beautiful, shiny and fresh. i had 2 hens squat for me this past week which I havnt seen since the summer. The winter here in CT is a bit on the warm side so we're all mixed up. I even took some of their run wrap off, valuing more fresh air exchange over blocking it because its just not that winter-y out there. when they hadnt laid in a month, i starting adding 20% protein chick started to their 16% layer feed. I too had no idea that hens can go so long without laying and now understand the term 'chicken math". Because of this, I will anticipate getting more chicks in the spring which means making an entire new chicken coop i guess. I hope! If not I'll be searching for $5 farm fresh eggs somewhere around here. In the meantime, my freeloaders can continue to help me with yard work as their payment.

 

[tlcmurphy]

my 5 CT hens will be 2 years old in May. They ALL stopped laying in late September this year and i have had ZERO eggs from anyone since than! until yesterday! I cant believe it! I know it was a fluke tho. It was a really nice egg that Delicious delivered without issue. I look forward to the spring to see if they start laying again. They all molted for the first time ever and I think they are all just about done, looking all beautiful, shiny and fresh. i had 2 hens squat for me this past week which I havnt seen since the summer. The winter here in CT is a bit on the warm side so we're all mixed up. I even took some of their run wrap off, valuing more fresh air exchange over blocking it because its just not that winter-y out there. when they hadnt laid in a month, i starting adding 20% protein chick started to their 16% layer feed. I too had no idea that hens can go so long without laying and now understand the term 'chicken math". Because of this, I will anticipate getting more chicks in the spring which means making an entire new chicken coop i guess. I hope! If not I'll be searching for $5 farm fresh eggs somewhere around here. In the meantime, my freeloaders can continue to help me with yard work as their payment.

They will start laying again soon, my other chickens have just started laying again after their hiatus since October (molting, shorter days, too cold for Atlanta chickens, etc).

 

[KimsNest]

I have a black star that will be 4 in March. About 2 years ago she started molting and stopped laying. I expected her to start again but she never did. It has been about two years. She is seemingly healthy and is actuall the only hen who has never been sick & put in ICU. She just stopped laying. No signs of egg eating. I guess she laid them all early and that's that.

Weird.

I have a black star that will be 4 in March. About 2 years ago she started molting and stopped laying. I expected her to start again but she never did. It has been about two years. She is seemingly healthy and is actuall the only hen who has never been sick & put in ICU. She just stopped laying. No signs of egg eating. I guess she laid them all early and that's that.

Weird.

Currently my pullets stopped laying last august to molt and just started laying again a month ago.
I also have an Americana that always laid double yoked eggs. She laid for about a year and a half and never laid again. She is 6 now. Guess her supply depleted too quickly.
But I do agree with the replies of others that say to just let them rest. Hard to do, I know, Especially with egg prices so high these days.

 

[TwistedGreta]

Im so glad I found this thread as I was about to create one regarding this issue. I have 2 Blue Copper Maran girls I purchased 2 years ago. They were both EXCELLENT layers! my best actually! They started to lay at the normal age (6-9 month? whenever Spring was around that age timeframe) and they laid for a full year! Big beautiful chocolate eggs. Then autumn came and they started to moult and they did the normal stop-laying thing as all my girls do. I live in upstate NY and it gets dark enough in winter that my girls end laying for the year in Nov around moult time and then start again each year in mid/late Feb depending on age. Anyways- on the 2nd year, my 2 marans laid for about 2 weeks and then BOOM, Nuthin!!! I figured they were going to go broody, as I reckon it was early Spring (like March/April maybe), but they never went broody. Then I thought, maybe they were internally laying, but neither bird fit the signs for that. They are both happy and healthy and eat well, dont walk funny (like some do if they internally lay) They are not bullied etc.... So when the ENTIRE 2nd year went by, I though to myself, maybe after the winter they will lay again this Spring (2023). But NOPE.


My 5 year old Ameraucanas are still laying about 2 sometimes 3 times a week and my 2, 8 year old Ameraucanas throw a very occasional giant blue egg, but the Marans??? NOPE. Nothing so far this year. I had no idea that this could happen and have been so perplexed by it, but apparently after reading these posts, you sometimes just get 'duds' hahaha!! They are sweet girls, and am happy to allow them to freeload, but out of my 7 hens I only have 3 laying and that's my 3, 5 year olds, so they arent very prolific!