Hopeless but still hoping for any suggestions... How to help an old hen lay.

[VA Lady]

So a little over a week ago my rooster that I loved very much passed away. He was one of four chickens that I originally bought as pullets around 4 years ago that were all supposed to be hens but he wasn't. Now I only have two hens left as one of my other hens passed last summer. Up until my rooster passed away one hen was still laying eggs on a regular basis but that stopped immediately after he died and with her so old I'm afraid she'll never lay again. The thing is that I'd love to hatch a chick from one of their eggs (and if it ended up a rooster that would be fine). Does anyone have any ideas/tips for encouraging her to go back to laying? I would love to be able to get even one more egg - I know it is a long shot though...
Thanks!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Even if she did go back to laying in a little while, and its not impossible, even at her age, the eggs won't have been fertilized by the rooster, so they won't develop into a chick.

Also, sometimes hens of that age find a rooster, especially a new young eager adolescent rooster a bit more of a nuisance than a pleasure. Why not let your ladies have an enjoyable retirement, and when they pass start over with a new flock of roo and pullets. Maybe a slightly bigger flock since you're enjoying them so much?

 

[VA Lady]

I had heard that, if she can/will lay any eggs, that they would be fertilized for a long time still. I had not thought about the issue of a young rooster causing trouble for my older hens - I guess because they still act so young. I am also thinking about starting a second coop area with a new young flock and letting these two have the current coop all to themselves for the rest of their lives though.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I had heard that, if she can/will lay any eggs, that they would be fertilized for a long time still.  I had not thought about the issue of a young rooster causing trouble for my older hens - I guess because they still act so young.  I am also thinking about starting a second coop area with a new young flock and letting these two have the current coop all to themselves for the rest of their lives though.

That's what I ended up doing. When my old rooster Monk passed away, again a much loved pet like yours, I decided to let his three ladies live on their own. Then in a second coop I started a new flock with a new rooster and six young pullets. They lived side by side but not with all winter then alternated free range days early spring and now are free ranging all together. And who is the new guy hopelessly infatuated with? You guessed it. One of the old girls. It's like Romeo and Juliet every morning as they pace their separate coops waiting to be reunited. Ha!

 

[VA Lady]

I can see how that would happen - the old bird is going to be much more interesting than some young hen! lol

 

[Spangled]

Oh. So sorry for your loss of your rooster.

Your hen just had a shock and is dealing with it as most hens do by not laying for a while. It's been my experience when hens have gone through a shock that it takes them about two weeks to go back to laying if everything stays calm for those two weeks and no more shocks occur.

However, you may need to get her laying more quickly than that if you want to keep the possibility of fertilized eggs alive. I know hens save semen in a reservoir while laying, possibly for up to three weeks, but I don't know what happens to that reserve of semen if she stops laying. So, to get her laying again quickly, if it's possible, I would give her 1/2 to 1 ounces of fish each day. I would not give her extra grain or other treats. The protein might get her back on track. For all we know, she may have done what many animals do when missing a dear companion and that is lessened how much she is eating which, of course, will affect egg production. Maybe also moisten her complete balanced layer feed with some broth or milk to tempt her to eat.

If you've still got any eggs available, even in the fridge, I'd be giving them a try in the incubator. I think things are that desperate if you really want some of his little chicks running around, but even that is getting to be a little of a long shot, too, at this point.

My old hens, and a few that are even 5 years old and still laying, don't mind younger male attention at all once they've gotten used to his presence. I'm not sure older hens want a break from male attention in the same way that some older women do. If a four-year-old hen is ovulating (laying an egg), then she living with the same hormones that she lived with at age 2 and will be responding to those hormones in the same instinctual way. Of course, there's a balance involved between how many hens to how many roosters, too. So ....

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Oh.  So sorry for your loss of your rooster.

Your hen just had a shock and is dealing with it as most hens do by not laying for a while.  It's been my experience when hens have gone through a shock that it takes them about two weeks to go back to laying if everything stays calm for those two weeks and no more shocks occur. 

However, you may need to get her laying more quickly than that if you want to keep the possibility of fertilized eggs alive.  I know hens save semen in a reservoir while laying, possibly for up to three weeks, but I don't know what happens to that reserve of semen if she stops laying.  So, to get her laying again quickly, if it's possible, I would give her 1/2 to 1 ounces of fish each day.  I would not give her extra grain or other treats.  The protein might get her back on track.  For all we know, she may have done what many animals do when missing a dear companion and that is lessened how much she is eating which, of course, will affect egg production.  Maybe also moisten her complete balanced layer feed with some broth or milk to tempt her to eat.

If you've still got any eggs available, even in the fridge, I'd be giving them a try in the incubator.  I think things are that desperate if you really want some of his little chicks running around, but even that is getting to be a little of a long shot, too, at this point.

My old hens, and a few that are even 5 years old and still laying, don't mind younger male attention at all once they've gotten used to his presence.  I'm not sure older hens want a break from male attention in the same way that some older women do.  If a four-year-old hen is ovulating (laying an egg), then she living with the same hormones that she lived with at age 2 and will be responding to those hormones in the same instinctual way.  Of course, there's a balance involved between how many hens to how many roosters, too.  So ....

Good advice here. What was your rooster's breed? Maybe you want to explore getting that breed of rooster again because it suited you so well. To be a little unsentimental, which is not really like me, you might find that it was the breed that you liked as well as the individual. And another individual of that breed might catch your heart just as thoroughly.

 

[VA Lady]

Thanks for the ideas! Unfortunately the eggs I have in the fridge are at least two weeks old so I do t think there's any hope for them in the incubator... :-( She doesn't act sad really and is still hunting bugs and eating the same. I think part of it is that he was so good about going to the nest box and encouraging her to come and lay an egg... He was such a good rooster.

 

[VA Lady]

My icon pic is of my rooster, think he was just a black sex link - he just had a great personality really....

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I get that. Not many places in the wide world where you can confess rooster admiration and affection, but you can sure confess it here and have an understanding audience.