Is she done laying??

[yomama]

I have a RIR bantam/ possibly mixed w/ OEG hen, Spicy. She is apx 2 years old, and I have had her for a year. When I got her, along with my other two older hens, a bantam black sexlink/ possibly mixed w/OEG hen, and a RIR, both two years old as well, all three were laying very regularly. A few months after I got them, Spicy started going broody. Being a first time chicken mom, and not needing to hatch any chicks, I worried about her not eating and drinking, because she would not leave her box. I denied her access to her nesting box. It took about a week, but she broke her broodiness. Anyhow, she seems to back and forth, being broody, then not being broody. However, she has not laid an egg in many months, even during her broody cycles. I know that she is not laying because I only have two bantams, and I have seen my other setting, then leaving her little egg. ( I check for eggs a couple of times a day, and know what egg each chicken lays. Of course, I only have 7 hens.) Is it possible that she is just done laying eggs? She acts fine, and as of today, is not broody. Her last broody spell was about a month or two ago, and they usually last for about couple of weeks. I know that egg laying slows down this time of year, but this was going on during the summer too.
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Have you looked for any hidden nests? She might be trying to outsmart you.

Other than that...

 

[yomama]

Robin'sBrood :

Have you looked for any hidden nests? She might be trying to outsmart you.

Other than that...

I am constantly on the look out for hidden nest, and as of now, the yard I let them free range in is pretty easy to keep on top of that. Before I allowed them to free range, they were confined to a 10' x 40' run, so it was even easier to be on the look out for hidden nests, but she wasn't laying then either.​

 

[pgpoultry]

I've had hybrids stop laying at 2 and a half years, but usually they do lay for a bit longer than that. Pure breeds lay much longer,

sandie

 

[Judy]

Broody hens don't lay eggs, or rarely, if they do. Maybe she's got the broody hormone going enough to stop her from laying.

 

[yomama]

Quote:
How long would you expect that to last, though? She hasn't laid an egg in so long, and the last time she was broody was at least a month or two ago.
She still has a home if she is not laying, so I'm not worried about having to cull her. I just wish I knew what was going on with her!

 

[yomama]

Quote:
Just out of curiousity, does that mean my Easter Eggers, which by definition from the hatchery are hybrids, won't lay as long as some of my other purebreds?

 

[sourland]

Bantams are not genetically programmed to lay the quantity of eggs that production breeds do. They generally lay a clutch, go broody, raise chicks, do it over again. Perhaps raising as many as 3 or 4 clutches a year. Since they spread out their egg laying careers, they generally produce eggs into old age whereas production birds can burn out in a couple of years. Your EE should not lay at the level of production birds; therefore, their productive years should be increased.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Yes, broody, broody, bantams. No wonder I was given two Millie Fleur d'Uccles... one of them has gone broody again... for the FOURTH time since April!

I'm taking all the eggs away from her this time. Between her, her sister, and my broody New Hampshire Red we let them hatch out and raise 12 chicks this year... and we got 9, possibly 10, cockerels! Crazy stats, and I'm not going through it again this year, especially with cold weather on the way!