I cannot figure out why this girl isn't laying

[missalline]

So my hen, Misty, is a three-year-old Easter Egger. She isn't laying, and I don't know the last time she did.

• She is not molting.
• I have her on a higher protein food.
• There's a light bulb in the coop, in addition to the natural light from outside.
• I put a mineral supplement in the water.
• She used to lay in the dead of winter, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
• Her behavior isn't any different than it used to be.
• I have oyster shell out.
• There was a major stress event about two months ago, but I don't think she was laying before it either.
• I've checked her for lice and mites (her feathers are actually beautiful, silky, shiny, and soft)
• She isn't sneezing, coughing, scratching, or showing any other signs of illness, and her croup feels fine when I palpate it.
• She's eating and drinking, and is always interested in treats (which I feed in moderation so that they don't mess with her protein intake).
• I "caught" her in a nesting box yesterday morning, but before that I wasn't sure she was even getting in them.

I have had issues with this hen eating eggs in the past, but I can't find any evidence for it. I cleaned and put fresh bedding in the nesting boxes and check them everyday, and there is never any indication of partial shells, or wet or dry egg on anything. And when she's eaten eggs in the past I have very, very carefully trimmed her beak (it gets extra long and extra sharp), and that has put a stop to it. But when I trimmed her beak recently nothing changed.

I've talked it over with some other local chicken owners, and nobody has had any other ideas about what might be going on (besides her just... not laying eggs). I love this girl very much, and will happily keep her as a pet for the rest of her life, but if there's anything else I can try I want to try it. She's the last survivor of the first four chickens I got, and getting her to lay again would really mean a lot to me.

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, welcome to BYC! I suspect your hen may be past her egg-laying days. While some will lay sporadically for several years, generally they lay most productively during their first and second years. Others may have other opinions, but that's mine. Good luck!

 

[Acre4Me]

We’ve had this happen before: non-layer after a season of laying. No obvious reason.

we have EE that are on their 4Th year of laying (natural stop during molts). But, EE are mixed. Breeds so can’t look to a single breed for typical laying history.

can you post a picture of her? Also, is her egg a different color than your other layers? Could she be laying in a secret spot?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Is this your only hen?

 

[Ribh]

Hi, welcome to BYC! I suspect your hen may be past her egg-laying days. While some will lay sporadically for several years, generally they lay most productively during their first and second years. Others may have other opinions, but that's mine. Good luck!

This would be my guess too but I've never kept EEs. I have BRs still laying well in their 4th year but my oldest girl is starting to taper off now & I'm not expecting many eggs from her this season.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some birds retire earlier than others from laying, so if she's otherwise healthy and active she might simply be done. I have a Buff Orp that's 5 yrs old that stopped laying at 3.

 

[missalline]

We’ve had this happen before: non-layer after a season of laying. No obvious reason.

we have EE that are on their 4Th year of laying (natural stop during molts). But, EE are mixed. Breeds so can’t look to a single breed for typical laying history.

can you post a picture of her? Also, is her egg a different color than your other layers? Could she be laying in a secret spot?

She's in the middle.

I don't currently have other layers, but I don't think she was laying when I did. Although I'm not sure, because their eggs all looked the same.

Unless she's burying them somewhere, I don't see how she could be. They have the coop and the run, which is entirely fenced in.

 

[missalline]

Is this your only hen?

She is currently my only hen. I lost my other two a couple of months back, but I think the two of them were laying and she wasn't.

 

[missalline]

@BigBlueHen53 @Ribh @rosemarythyme

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if she was done. She's always been a bit odd. But when she was laying she was pretty consistent every-other-day, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious.

 

[LaFleche]

She is a real beauty!

The arrival of the new pullets might add to her not laying, as just any change (loss of friends, new coop, feed change, shock from predator attack etc.) can lead to some weeks of not laying eggs.

Did you feel her pelvis bones to see how separated they are? She might be laying somewhere else and eat her own eggs.