How long does it take for a broody hen to lay again?

Mac84

Songster
12 Years
Apr 10, 2013
91
29
126
Tucson, AZ
Hi!
My buff orpington hen went broody for the first time at 6 months old and she laid her last egg September 19th.
Since I have no roosters and I had no intention of having more chickens , I kept her out of the nest in a little pen I made underneath the coop ( even though I put her back in the coop at night to perch and keep her safe) at that time and after a week she didn't want to go back in the nests. Well, it's October 30th and she hasn't laid an egg since then :(
She is starting to make noises again and she visits the nests once in a while but no eggs.
Is my girl going to lay again?
How long does it usually take?
I lost one of my girls to a dog on Monday :hit (not my dog) and now only 2 of the ladies are laying eggs and one of them is starting to "act up" like she is going broody too :he
I'm feeling very frustrated now, but I must say, I love my girls and I want the best for them.
Any advice?
 
That’s really hard to say. I had one hen that started laying eggs 2-1/2 weeks after her chicks hatched. She weaned her chicks at 3 weeks so for a few days it was really a mess down there. Those chicks didn't know what to do.

I had another one that started a molt in August/September while she was raising her brood. She weaned her chicks at 9 weeks but it was a couple of months more before she finished her molt and started laying again.

There is no way to say for sure. With her being around 7 months old unless she went into a molt I’d expect her to start again pretty soon, but a lot of them don’t read the book and act the way they are supposed to. Pullets of that age often skip the molt their first fall/winter and continue to lay all winter, though they may reduce the number of eggs some. Some breeds are better about that than others. I’d expect a Buff Orp to do that, but each is an individual. No one can say for sure.

Good luck!
 
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This forum must have some kind of magic or something because Rooki has laid an egg today! :D
My girl is baaaack!!
 

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