Henopause at 3??

[FlyWheel]

Hi, i know I haven't been on in a while, but I have a question, Last March Sparkle, my SL Wyandotte layed three meager eggs, like starter eggs, then stopped and hasn't dropped anything since. I took her to a vet, she said she didn't see any evidence of her being egg bound. She eats normally, poops normally, runs around scratching, pecking and doing other chicken-ey things just like a normal hen. Only no eggs.

I know chickens don't lay forever but she is only three. Has anyone else experienced a hen throwing in the towel so early?

 

[Folly's place]

Easily at three, sometime younger. It's about genetics, and selecting only one year old breeding stock. Nearly nobody selling chicks keeps breeders much longer, because chickens lay the most eggs their first year. So, selecting for longevity or long productive life doesn't happen.
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

My Buff Orp quit at 2 or 3 years old, I don't recall exactly. She's 6 now and hasn't laid since then, behaves normally for an older bird otherwise.

 

[FlyWheel]

OK, she's still healthy otherwise, I was just wondering because I have never had a hen stop so early before.