Hen stopped laying??

[Hep44]

Our brahma just started laying a few weeks ago and was very consistent (laying almost every day.) About a week ago, she completely stopped. She hasn't even been sitting anymore. Is it just because the weather has cooled down? She hasn't been acting sick or walking weird or anything. This is our first hen to start laying, so I don't know if this is normal or not

 

[sourland]

Any change in husbandry/feed ? Shortening day light period impacts egg laying, but generally not in first year birds.

 

[Hep44]

We did switch to layer feed

 

[nao57]

Has she started molting?

I wonder if a sudden cool down could do it also. I mean some people the weather channels were showing they had a 60 degree drop within just 2 days. To me that's weird.

My hen stopped laying but its because my drake duck was committing crimes against her. He's going to the barbecue chamber soon to pay for it. This could be it also if you have drakes on your property.

Have you had extra stress around her at night also? Smoke could do this from the fires, so could predators at night coming by. (I can tell when this happens because my ducks are always freaking out the next day and panic over everything.)

 

[Hep44]

Oh another thing I should add....she doesn't lay in a nesting box. She has built a nest right next to the coop. Is it possible she moved it somewhere else and we haven't found it?

 

[Hep44]

Has she started molting?

I wonder if a sudden cool down could do it also. I mean some people the weather channels were showing they had a 60 degree drop within just 2 days. To me that's weird.

My hen stopped laying but its because my drake duck was committing crimes against her. He's going to the barbecue chamber soon to pay for it. This could be it also if you have drakes on your property.

Have you had extra stress around her at night also? Smoke could do this from the fires, so could predators at night coming by. (I can tell when this happens because my ducks are always freaking out the next day and panic over everything.)

No melting yet. We have had quite a shift in weather, and it's been thunderstorming. Also, there is a hawk that has been hanging out around the property.

 

[nao57]

I forgot to mention one more thing.

Ironically this came from a beekeeping video I was watching where this guy says your chickens ability to lay is linked to how much sunlight they are getting. (So if he's right then if someone had them in the dark shut up without letting them out, they might stop laying or slow down.)

I thought this was kind of interesting.

(I'm not sure if just a few days of heavy cloud cover would be enough to cause that however. But I do think tons of smoke like from the fires on the pacific coast could be enough to cause it.)

 

[nao57]

Oh another thing I should add....she doesn't lay in a nesting box. She has built a nest right next to the coop. Is it possible she moved it somewhere else and we haven't found it?

Very possible, especially if things around that area were moved or changed around (even if by the wind).

 

[Hep44]

I forgot to mention one more thing.

Ironically this came from a beekeeping video I was watching where this guy says your chickens ability to lay is linked to how much sunlight they are getting. (So if he's right then if someone had them in the dark shut up without letting them out, they might stop laying or slow down.)

I thought this was kind of interesting.

(I'm not sure if just a few days of heavy cloud cover would be enough to cause that however. But I do think tons of smoke like from the fires on the pacific coast could be enough to cause it.)

Interesting. I live in Michigan, so no effects from the fires here. However it has been completely overcast for about a week.

 

[Hep44]

Very possible, especially if things around that area were moved or changed around (even if by the wind).

We just added on to the coop....I wonder if that freaked her out.