hen not laying anymore?!

[Soleil_A]

hi! my ISA brown hen isn’t laying anymore! i recently introduced 2 bantam hens to the coop (not laying yet). could she be stressed out from the new chicks? they have oyster shell, layer feed, scratch, and are full time free range. any ideas?

thank you so much!

 

[azygous]

Our flocks in the northern hemisphere are beginning to go into fall molt. This could account for your hen not laying. But flock disruptions of any sort can also affect laying.

 

[Soleil_A]

my hens have never ever molted. is that bad?

 

[Shadrach]

my hens have never ever molted. is that bad?

It depends on how old they are.
Many pullets won't moult their first winter.

 

[azygous]

How old is your hen?

 

[Soleil_A]

How old is your hen?

i think she’s maybe 4? she’s a rescue and i’m not exactly sure how old she is.

 

[Soleil_A]

It depends on how old they are.
Many pullets won't moult their first winter.

i think she’s around 4.

 

[azygous]

She's molted. You just never noticed, probably because she molted slowly and evenly. I have a Black Cochin hen molting now, and she doesn't look any different. You wouldn't know she's molting except for the feathers accumulating under her as she lounges around all day. (She's a couch potato.)

 

[aart]

full time free range

Could she be laying out in range area?
How long have you had this bird?

Might want to start with an exam:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then maybe:
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Soleil_A]

Could she be laying out in range area?
How long have you had this bird?

Might want to start with an exam:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then maybe:
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

today she laid and egg. it look like she crushed it and possibly ate the yolk?? the yolk was missing. she laid it in the nesting box. i’ve had her since she was 7 weeks i believe.