How many days can a White Leghorn go on strike before you worry?

[Chotii]

My White Leghorn is about 11 months old now. She has been laying nearly an egg a day since she started (August?). She is not molting. She has not laid an egg for 3 days, and this is SO unlike her that I'm starting to worry. She gets layer crumble plus a little cat food daily, and is let out to scratch and eat grass with her fellow biddies as often as possible.

She is active, eating, drinking, and 'squatting' for me, but NOT laying is so unlike her that it's giving me horrid flashbacks of my Golden Sex Link, who had to be put down last fall due to Egg Yolk Peritonitis (suspected). I do not see any evidence of discomfort or being egg-bound. She gets supplemental light in her coop, equalling a total of 14 hours a day of light including daylight. She has not been upset that I know of, but she may have gotten a little frostbite on her comb 2 nights ago when we had unexpected frost.

Can anybody reassure me that this is within the range of normal?

 

[bubbazmommy]

Could it be the cold weather?? Sometimes that affects them.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

My one girl that lays consistently, and has now for 4 months stopped laying about a week ago now. She also shows no signs of stress, or egg bound. I'm figuring it's got to be pretty normal! She eats and drinks just fine, and my girls free range all day 4 days a week. My ducks are laying like crazy tho, and they weren't laying at all! We have one girl & a drake and we're lettin them sit their nest. She's been layin at least an egg a day sometimes two! go figure!! lol

 

[they'reHISchickens]

My white leghorn ( about your hen's age) took a 3 week break about a month ago. She went a little crazy for 2 days-flying around even MORE scatterbrained than usual. I have seen our other breeds act strangely right before a molt. I think our Henny Penny had a mini-molt and I was VERY surprised when the eggs appeared again 3 weeks later. Her feathers have not really fallen, but she isn't looking supergood either. She is back to almost daily laying though , so I am not about to tell her otherwise!

 

[Chotii]

I did palpate her abdomen (oh she hated that) to see if there felt like an egg stuck in there, but I couldn't feel anything. I guess I'll try not to worry about it. I'm not very good at not worrying.

 

[RW19290]

maybe she changed her laying place.

My girls do that every once in a while

 

[Chotii]

On the days she's been *out*, that can be true. The last 2 days (following a raccoon scare) they weren't let out at all...just in the pen, where you couldn't hide a grain of corn against the wood-chip bedding, let alone a white egg.

I'm not absolutely certain she didn't lay when outside though, the other day, or even perhaps during the half hour she was out in the backyard today.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Did you say a raccoon scare?
That may have contributed to her not laying.

Jean

 

[msgenie516]

Hi,

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. The frostbite (even though it was minor) and any fright she experienced because of the raccoon could both contribute to her not laying. Also, there could be a number of reasons you are not even aware of that could throw her out of kilter. For instance, one of my EE's and my Polish hen both quit laying for about 6 (yes, SIX) months for reasons unknown to me. They are both laying fine now and are in good health. I still have no idea why and I'm sure I'll never find out--they're good at keeping secrets!

This length of time without laying is highly unusual and I doubt it will happen to you, but it just makes us aware that most anything can happen and it doesn't mean the chickens are experiencing ill health. Good luck!

Genie