How can I tell if she is not laying?

[clairabean]

I have an older hen who I suspect has stopped laying.

Any tips on making sure she has stopped laying before I changed her name from Dolly to Stew?

 

[sunnychooks]

How old is she? What breed? How long has she not been laying?
It could be that she has stopped because of the shortened daylight hours.
If she has a yellow beak and yellow legs you can check the bleaching sequence. Hens that are not laying will have a brighter color to their vent, beaks and legs. If she has lighter coloration in those areas she may be laying somewhere other than in the nesting box and you might want to look for a clutch of eggs somewhere on your property (if you free-range).

 

[magicpigeon]

How old is the hen? And what breed is she? She could have stopped for a number of reasons, including lack of light, molting, going broody... ... ...the list goes on. I suggest monitoring her a bit more closely. Is there any spot which she goes to multiple times a day you haven't seen her before? I didn't realise one of mine was laying until I say a little clutch of 8 in the middle of a forest...

 

[Fred's Hens]

Put her in her own giant dog cage, or in a separate pen, if you have one. You'll know. I've done this to check on birds.
A quarantine space of some kind, needs to be part of your over all plan anyhow. Sickness, brooding, etc.

 

[clairabean]

Shame on me. I never thought to seperate her.

Duh for me.

Honestly I don't think I have ever seen her lay. We have had her since summer and who knows how old she is. We are not free ranging now due to all the snow. They are pretty much stuck.

 

[clairabean]

Oh, and she is a mutt. A mixed something or other.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I have an EE that I got from a feed store almost two years ago. That little girl has NEVER laid a single egg.


But she has a delightful personality, so we keep her.

 

[Lollipop]

Clair, to determine if a hen is laying, feel the pelvic bones UNDER her vent. A full size hen will have room BETWEEN the bones to place 3 finger tips. One that isn`t laying will only have room for one or two. Pick her off the roost at night and try it. It`s easy and you don`t have to get your fingers dirty.........Pop