Hen stopped laying?

[Riven]

I wasn't sure where to put this so here it is!

I have a cochin bantam hen who was sitting on her nest two years ago now... and a dog attacked her. ( I had several choice words for it's owner) and she abandoned her nest. The best part, is... her nest was in the GARAGE of my house!

Anyway, she hasn't laid since, this spring I've seen the roo mating, and I put a nesting box right by where they roost, I put her in it, and nothing, she shows no interest in it.

Anything I can do? Is she just destined to be just a pet for the rest of her life?

 

[Judy]

I would have put this in chicken behaviors and egglaying.

I have no bantams and no cochins, and I am far from being a chicken expert. But I think we need some more info.

Is she free range? Could she be laying somewhere outside the coop?

Two years seems awfully long to recover from an attack. What is her behavior? Does she act broody? Give us some more details.

 

[Riven]

Can a mod or someone move this to the proper area please?

She had been a good brooder in the past, she is free range, sleeps in... the garage. Yea, it's a unique situation but they like it. They will get moved to a pen before too long though, I'm sure they'll be upset.

They roam our yard area, which is about 1 1/2 acres. They have their favorite places to sit and hang out, but I've never found any eggs anywhere around the yard. They are places like in front of our big windows, etc. Places that are pretty open. They roost on a rail in the garage, should I take that option away from her so she has to go into the nesting box?

In the past I loved to watch her sit on her eggs because she'd literally stare of into space and totally ignore me, and it looked like her eyes were going to bug out of her head!

Well, it's much funnier in person.

I got her "used" so I'm not sure exactly how old she is, she was full grown when I got her, she produced two years for me before the attack, so she's been here about four years now?

Could she be "too old"? Stubborn? I feed a mix of layer mash/crumbles and cracked corn.

Should I crate her and see if she is laying? Can you tell by flipping her over? I'd love some more chicks out of her. With a different roo she threw me some awesome chicks, of course I only kept one and ended up loosing her.

In the end she's a pet, and will live here forever. She'll follow you, and you can pick her up, pet her, etc. but we would like to get at least one more clutch.

If there's anything I didn't cover in my ramble, just ask!