ISA Brown seems to be depressed

[TooManyEggs]

ISA Brown was raised with a flock of 9. Two roosters had to be culled and then because of reasons, 4 others layers had to be given away after a year. Now there were three, two ISA browns and a cochin. One of the ISAs was eaten by a racoon about 7 months ago and since then, it has just been the cochin and ISA. Because the situation has improved, I was able to get three more chicks in the first week of March. They are two confirmed ISAs and one who knows what (dunno for sure, just pulled her out of a mixed pullet bin at a few days old and she may be a mutt because she/he has some kind of strange feather growth on the head that I can't associate with any particular breed given the rest of the current plumage - looks like OEGC except for this weird head gear and no comb yet that I can tell. I will know in a month when they molt again I guess). They are now 2/3 the size of the adults and have been confined to one section of the coop and the adults in the other at night. During the day, they are allowed to interact free range as the lil guys now know where to roost and they have plenty of space to run if the adults attack.

The cochin absolutely hates the kiddos and she will attack them if she sees them. The ISA is more friendly towards them and even offered them food like a rooster would, but overall, since they came, she seems pretty insecure and wants to spend all of her outdoor time with me inside the house if I have the door open. She never got along well with the cochin. They just barely tolerate each other, tbh, and I am seriously considering rehoming the cochin. She lays well, but she is such a *&%^ overall. My ISA seems to be stressed and started laying a few eggs without shells before stopping laying altogether. She is not molting and is 2 years old (which I know for an ISA...). I don't think it is a calcium issue or anything like that. Just she's upset and I am not sure what to do to make her feel better and start laying again.

 

[NatJ]

My ISA seems to be stressed...she's upset and I am not sure what to do to make her feel better and start laying again.

I don't know exactly what to do either.
Chickens certainly can get stressed and upset, but it seems there is a physical cause more often than an emotional cause.

If you are sure she is healthy, I would just be patient and see if she cheers up when the chicks are adults, and she can feel like part of a flock again.

My ISA seems to be stressed and started laying a few eggs without shells before stopping laying altogether. She is not molting and is 2 years old (which I know for an ISA...). I don't think it is a calcium issue or anything like that.

Does she have oyster shell or some other calcium source available? Hens sometimes use calcium from their own bones to make eggshells, so they need to replace that when they stop laying. Continuing to keep calcium available will let her do that at whatever pace she thinks is right. Hopefully she can replenish her calcium reserves before she next starts laying again.