Hen with spurs, unsure of age, past her laying days?

[iachicks]

We got 7 hens and a roo from a friend. I am unsure of the ages of them they were all laying when we got them. One of the RIRs has spurs that are 1.5" long, and I've never seen her laying in the next box. Are the spurs a sign her estrogen is low/gone and past her laying days? She is also the top of the pecking order, but she is pretty mean especially to one RIR who is loosing quite a few feathers over the ordeal. If the spurs do mean shes done laying, with her attitude I think she'll end up in the crock pot. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Judy]

Spurs and laying have nothing to do with each other. It's simply that some hens get spurs and some don't. If you are seeing feather loss, they may very well be moulting. Somewhere around 18 months, hens go through a major molt, and usually do not lay til it's over. It can take them a few months to get through the molt; it varies a lot from chicken to chicken. After the molt, they generally start laying again, but they won't lay as often as they used to. However, they usually lay larger eggs. It's common for people to sell them at that point.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/426408/planned-livestock-guarding-dog-for-poultry/60#post_9236041

 

[iachicks]

Sorry if I misconstrued the situation, but the one with spurs is fully feathered and beautiful. It's the lower in pecking order hens she picks at that are lacking in feathers and it is no molt problem. The lowest in pecking order is completely bald on her back, the second lowest was half bald but was recently killed by assumingly a rat. Anyway the half bald was our best layer and we went from 4-5 eggs a day to 1-2. I'm not feeding meat birds and if I am they will be treated as such. I've never seen the spurred hen in the nest box and she won't let the roo touch her. I know that the recent trauma can affect egg laying but its been a couple weeks now. How can one tell who is laying and who isn't with an enclosed coop and a day job?

 

[StelleKitten]

As an educated guess, I would confine the one you are questioning all by itself in a dog kennel for a week or so and see if you are getting any eggs. But that is just a guess.