Internal laying???

[junior67]

I have a CCL that hatched April 2022. She has not laid a single egg. in Oct 2022 she started checking out the nest boxes and sitting in them but never laid an egg. after about a month of this she stopped so I thought maybe the lack of daylight hours was the reason and thought nothing of it. Feb 2023 she started checking it out again. I checked each time after she came out of the box (I have a camera in there) and there was never an egg...... I gave her tums etc. at first thinking maybe egg bound then read they wouldn't live long if it was egg bound so figured it wasn't that. by the end of the laying season she was waddling a lot and had a bulge between her leg area (like the whole lower abdomen area and under her vent was swollen. But she was running around (well waddling) eating, and drinking, roosting at night etc. after doing some research that summer I figured she was internally laying, but from what I read that normally don't make it that long. The bulge went away a mo or two after she stopped going in the nest box (think she stopped around Oct or so???). She has started sitting again and once again no eggs. Has anyone had a hen that internally lays? how long do they normally live? I will cull if I think it is needed but as I said she eats, drinks and runs around with the rest so doesn't seem to bother her and she doesn't seem "sick" so don't see a reason to cull at this time.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If she's eating/drinking/moving about with her flock and seems to be enjoying her life, then there's no need to put her down.

She may indeed be laying internally or have nonfunctioning ovaries or one of dozens of things that can "go wrong". I'd just enjoy her company. When she passes, if you wish to know more, then send the body to your State Lab for analysis or you can do your own informal investigation, taking note of what's in the abdomen, the condition of the major organs and reproductive system.

 

[junior67]

If she's eating/drinking/moving about with her flock and seems to be enjoying her life, then there's no need to put her down.

She may indeed be laying internally or have nonfunctioning ovaries or one of dozens of things that can "go wrong". I'd just enjoy her company. When she passes, if you wish to know more, then send the body to your State Lab for analysis or you can do your own informal investigation, taking note of what's in the abdomen, the condition of the major organs and reproductive system.

any idea on the life span if she is internally laying? Thought I tried to research last year and didn't find much but what I did seemed like it wasn't long and she will be 2 in April and started acting like she was ready to lay about 16 mo or so ago.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

any idea on the life span if she is internally laying? Thought I tried to research last year and didn't find much but what I did seemed like it wasn't long and she will be 2 in April and started acting like she was ready to lay about 16 mo or so ago.

There's no timeline really. A lot depends on if she is internally laying and if her body has been able to absorb some of the material. Usually the body tries to encase the foriegn material in the abdomen with a caseous layer of exudes. It may be that she has non-functioning ovaries and has not even laid internally - there's so many possibilities.

If she's eating/drinking, relatively active and interacting with her flock and production from her is not important, then just enjoy her while she's in decent shape.

If you lose her, take a look at the internals, they will tell a tale.

 

[junior67]

There's no timeline really. A lot depends on if she is internally laying and if her body has been able to absorb some of the material. Usually the body tries to encase the foriegn material in the abdomen with a caseous layer of exudes. It may be that she has non-functioning ovaries and has not even laid internally - there's so many possibilities.

If she's eating/drinking, relatively active and interacting with her flock and production from her is not important, then just enjoy her while she's in decent shape.

If you lose her, take a look at the internals, they will tell a tale.

Thanks. judging by how her underside between her legs and under her vent gets large when she goes in the next box and doesn't lay I am guessing internal laying and not non-functioning ovaries. But while I would LOVE to have her pretty blue eggs I am fine with her not laying and just enjoying her while she is around.