hen hasn't laid in 7 months!!!

[Kelley21]

I have a 2 year old barred rock hen who started laying at about 5 months old. However she hasn't laid since last october. Previously she was a very good layer. She would lay almost every single day. She has not changed food or chicken coops. She does not at all appear to be sick. She gets about 16 hours of light a day with the help of artificial lighting. I should also mention that she lives alone and I have seen no evidence of egg eating. Near her coop, I have 2 rhode island red hens who are very realiable layers. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can try? We have waited and waited and its May now, and there is no sign of laying! What happened??

 

[teach1rusl]

So she is contained within a run? There's no chance that she could be laying elsewhere???

 

[Kelley21]

Thanks for the response teach1rusl. She is contained. She lives in a "chicken hutch" with a 4 foot by 6 foot pen. In an enclosure of this size, it would be almost impossible for her to hide her eggs from me. We are very puzzled by what is going on with her egg production.

 

[wastintime202]

try giving her some oatmeal mixed with water..works everytime for me.

 

[En Plein Air Farms]

She may have finished her egg quota. Their genes are programmed for so many eggs and that's pretty much it.
Some breeds lay tons more eggs than others, what kind do you have?

this is an interesting article with much on reasons for low production
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps029
there is much talk here about cheaper food, but if it isn't balanced for the laying hen it costs much in reduced egg production.

 

[Weepnwilly]

I had the same problem with my flock. I used golf balls in the nest. Worked in two weeks.

 

[Kelley21]

En Plein Air Farms- She is a barred rock. I purchased her from a local farm that breeds their chickens for laying purposes. So my hope was that I was getting a good layer. Thanks for the article link!

 

[teach1rusl]

Barred rocks don't burn out after one year of good laying, at least not if they're healthy and normal. My BR girl, who is just hatchery stock, is three y.o. and still laying very well after 2 1/2 years of egg laying... I expect her egg laying will drop down significantly next year, when she's four.

She could have something wrong with her egg tract... It does happen. Some quit laying simply because an egg doesn't form...others can be internal layers.

Stress can also cause chickens to stop laying. If she's by herself, I would think that would be stressful, as chickens are flock animals, not solitary. Could you add a young pullet or two of some kind to her flock?? That will cause stress too, but at least that stress will go away as they get used to one another.