hen hasn't laid in 3 days

[howipinchapenny]

my 6 month old golden comet has not laid an egg in 3 days. She just started laying about 4 weeks ago. She will lay us pretty big eggs (3 oz.) compared to the 2 oz. her sisters give us.
she doesn't seem to be in pain and she hasn't had any trama ( as far as I know)
I currently have her in a sink of warm water hoping that she will relax enough to push out an egg. her vent is clean but it seems to 'flex' or 'move' like she is breathing.

any suggestions or cautions.

 

[Wynette]

There could be many reasons she stopped; she could be just taking a break (they all need breaks now and then). It could be due to the changing weather. You could have someone eating eggs...I'm not sure a warm bath is the best course of action, at this point. I would just watch her closely, and check often to make sure no one is eating eggs. Also, she may have found a new spot to lay them in that you haven't found yet. Good luck!!

 

[howipinchapenny]

thanks for the response.

I am not finding shells...do they eat the shells too?
there really is no place to hide eggs in the coop. they are enclosed and the coop is only an 8x5'.

any other advice?

 

[fshinggrl]

They'd eat shells!!!! My EE (orange) laid ONE olive colored egg a week ago. No eggs since. No hidden nest. I check for eggs enough that I don't think anyone is eating them. Perhaps she is just taking a break! I don't think any of my chickens would stand in a sink of water!

 

[the lemon tree]

I should add that chickens respond to stress by a lack of egg production. I'm not sure how chickens take to "warm baths", but I'm hoping that it doesn't work against your cause.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

That chicken looks RELAXED! Checking out her reflection in the mirror. I wash my chickens before I take them to visit the nursing home (outside, they're not allowed inside), especially their feet, in a warm tub of water, and they've never had any problems at all...

 

[5littlechickens]

Quote:
That's what I thought about my chickens, they spend their day in a 10'x15' foot run so I thought no way could they be hiding eggs. Well I thought two of them weren't laying but it turns out they just found a really good hiding spot in their run. I missed them for three days and they weren't even that hidden I just hadn't looked at that area from the right angle. Hope you get more eggs soon.

Jody

 

[madmantrapper]

My comets started laying never took a break (yet). My rocks seem to lay every now and then. I have four rocks that take turns every couple of days it seems.

 

[howipinchapenny]

thanks for the advise this is what I posted on Face book:
After posing for help on my chicken boards it was suggested that they were eating the egg. My first thought were 'Not MY chickens!" Just like the parent in denial about the bad behaved child.
But when I was giving them fresh water and food today I noticed what looked like a flat egg on the floor! It was the membrane of the egg. These stinkers had eaten the insides and the shell...leaving the membrane. Those stinkers even snatched it out of my hand as if to say "no!!! you do not see that. That is MINE!"

I will fix them. I cam inside and blew out an egg and filled it with hot sauce and mustard. This is what is suggested on the chicken boards.

When I went down to the coop to put the decoy in 'egg bound' chicken was in the nesting box making egg laying noises. 10 minutes later she pushed out a 3 oz. egg.

We will see if we have egg eaters tomorrow!

 

[Uppity Peon]