Hens not laying

[Cherissa]

I'm sorry for your loss! I wish I could help, good luck!

Thanks!!

 

[Cherissa]

She laid an egg!!! Thanks for your input!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Mine are more like pets. In live in VA. There were no obvious signs of illness. She too had stopped laying and I thought maybe she became egg bound which is a new term to me after having done some research. I’m just not sure what happened and with all else going on in the world, I’m not sure having a necropsy done would’ve been an option. I’ve checked my other Rhode Island for signs of being egg bound and she has no signs. I’m guessing it’s maybe stress. I’ve been sure to give them lots of free range time in hopes that’ll settle their nerves. They eat their feed year around.

Egg binding is one of hundreds of things that can kill chickens.
The reason I asked about age, what they were eating and whether she was laying eggs is because of urolithiasis which causes visceral gout. A hen not laying eggs is not a layer, she is just a female chicken. Non-layers shouldn't be fed layer feed. It contains too much calcium for a chicken that isn't building egg shells. The excess has to be processed by the kidneys. There are 2 kidneys with 3 segments each. As segments become damaged, the bird continues to appear healthy and can even lay eggs but when the last segment fails, they will die within 24 hours, often with no symptoms. Unless one has a necropsy or performs one themselves, they will never know that or anything else was the problem.