hen laying after at least 11 months off?

[8675309j]

We assumed she was retiring and all done laying. She stopped around last Easter. Last year we put lights in the coop and they layed through the winter. We lost a few hens in the spring and so this year we opted not to use lights and let nature run its course. We have 2 leghorns who started laying in late Sept and laid all through the winter. Our Cuckoo Moran molted in the fall and picked back up a few months later. Then this week our Wellsummer started laying again! We noticed her comb brightening up over the last few weeks and then in the last week she started doing the funny squat thing. Is this a normal break length? Almost a year?

TIA

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We assumed she was retiring and all done laying. She stopped around last Easter. Last year we put lights in the coop and they layed through the winter. We lost a few hens in the spring and so this year we opted not to use lights and let nature run its course. We have 2 leghorns who started laying in late Sept and laid all through the winter. Our Cuckoo Moran molted in the fall and picked back up a few months later. Then this week our Wellsummer started laying again! We noticed her comb brightening up over the last few weeks and then in the last week she started doing the funny squat thing. Is this a normal break length? Almost a year?

TIA

How old is the hen in question? While 11 months is pretty long, often the periods between production cycles will lengthen as a bird ages and the regularity of laying during a production cycle can be less dependable in later cycles. It could be any number of factors contributed to her extended hiatus from production. Was she broody during this break? What was her diet during the break? Were there stresses to the flock during the break? Was she in good health during the break?