Hen not laying in months

[Savager]

I have four australop hens, and over the winter three of the four stopped laying. Since spring, two of the three have started up again. However one has not layed since last fall. If anyone has any advice or ideas on why that would be appreciated. I just recently gave a broody hen some of my duck eggs to hatch, but the one hatchling has integrated well and she wasn't laying before that either, so I don't know how stress would be a problem. Recently she's been bullying more, it started with the lowest in the pecking order, but she has been picking on the others too. Today I separated her when I saw blood on another hen. My best guess would be weight, she seems the fattest of the group, so if anyone has diet ideas that would help too.

 

[aart]

Are you positive she's not laying?
I would think it would be hard to tell what egg came from what bird all of the same breed. She may still be 'broody' or partially broody.

Here's some tips on how to tell...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Ridgerunner]

The most common reason for a hen to not be laying is the molt but from what you said that is not it. Another very common cause is that she is laying, but she is hiding a nest. I don't know how possible that is but they can be really good at finding hiding places even in a fairly small coop/run. If they have a big outside area, good luck finding it.

Sometimes something is getting the eggs. I don't know what your facilities look like or how you manage them to know one specific hen is not laying, but it sounds strange that something would get one hen's eggs and not all of them.

Sometimes a hen just stops laying. Could be different reasons, probably something messes up in their internal egg making factory.

If you can, I'd lock the one not laying in the coop or coop/run (may have to lock all of them in there so they can get to the nests or give her a special confinement area) and see if she lays an egg. Give her two or three days.

I don't know what is going in with your broody. The way I understand it she was not laying before she went broody, which sounds strange. She is supposedly bullying the other hens. And the broody is especially fat. Are you sure she is really broody and not egg bound or internal laying? Sometimes they act strange.

Good luck on figuring that out.

 

[Savager]

The most common reason for a hen to not be laying is the molt but from what you said that is not it. Another very common cause is that she is laying, but she is hiding a nest. I don't know how possible that is but they can be really good at finding hiding places even in a fairly small coop/run. If they have a big outside area, good luck finding it.

Sometimes something is getting the eggs. I don't know what your facilities look like or how you manage them to know one specific hen is not laying, but it sounds strange that something would get one hen's eggs and not all of them.

Sometimes a hen just stops laying. Could be different reasons, probably something messes up in their internal egg making factory.

If you can, I'd lock the one not laying in the coop or coop/run (may have to lock all of them in there so they can get to the nests or give her a special confinement area) and see if she lays an egg. Give her two or three days.

I don't know what is going in with your broody. The way I understand it she was not laying before she went broody, which sounds strange. She is supposedly bullying the other hens. And the broody is especially fat. Are you sure she is really broody and not egg bound or internal laying? Sometimes they act strange.

Good luck on figuring that out.

I'm sorry if I didn't clarify, the one hen in question did not go broody, she has been bullying the one who did, so I thought stress at first but she wasn't laying before the other hen went broody. I might be able to confine her and see, but I only have a few chickens and can often tell who's eggs they are.

 

[aart]

How old are these 4 birds, in months?
Is the duckling still in with the 4 chickens?
How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet, for the chickens?
Dimensions and pics might help.

 

[Savager]

Are you positive she's not laying?
I would think it would be hard to tell what egg came from what bird all of the same breed. She may still be 'broody' or partially broody.

Here's some tips on how to tell...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Thanks, I remember doing that when they first started, I'll have to try that out again. And also I think I didn't clarify, she was bullying the hen that did go broody, she wasn't herself.

 

[Savager]

How old are these 4 birds, in months?
Is the duckling still in with the 4 chickens?
How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet, for the chickens?
Dimensions and pics might help.

Duckling sleeps under coop and free range with them during the day I'll send pictures of coop later. They are about a year and four months.