Laying questions

[Phaedra Geiermann]

I have several hens (about 3 years old) who finished their annual molting before winter. Two of them started to lay after the molting, and the last one didn't. I understand they don't lay much in winter due to the much shorter daylight hours and lower temperatures.

However, the two suddenly stopped laying again, completely stopped. Their other behaviors are normal, poos looks healthy, and they eat, play, and rest well. Is this laying and stop-laying normal?

Last year we lost a matured hen who didn't lay after molting (6 months after molting, zero egg) but nothing was wrong with her daily life, either. I gave her pretty routine checks but was not sure if she had another illness with a long incubation period, but she became lethargic one day and passed away two days later.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Sometimes when birds come back into lay they become egg bound. It happens. Sudden lethargy in the spring then death in two days is this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How long has it been since they suddenly stopped? It is not unusual for them to occasionally skip a few days.

The most common cause of a hen to stop laying is the molt. Is it possible your two went into a molt? Yes, stress can cause that. But that is highly unlikely. Unless you are seeing some of their feathers flying around it is not a molt. I just wanted to get this out of the way.

A very common cause of you thinking they have stopped laying is that they have started hiding a nest on you. I can't remember how you manage yours but they can be extremely clever at hiding a nest where you would never think they could.

Is something eating or getting the eggs? Many critters that eat eggs leave signs, egg shells or a wet spot. I'm not sure what critters you have in Germany that take eggs without leaving a trace but some common ones are snakes, canines, and humans. A snake typically eats some eggs and then disappears for two or three days to digest them before coming back for more. If eggs are consistently missing it is not a snake. Besides, it is probably too cold for you to worry about snakes.

A fox or something like that would probably be more interested in your hens so that is unlikely. A dog however can eat eggs and not harm the hens. Does a dog have access?

A human does not have to mean a thief. Sometimes people think something like this is a fun joke.

Sometimes a change in weather can cause them to skip a few days, especially if that weather is extreme.

Chickens don't like change. Have you changed their housing, added or taken chickens away so the pecking order changed, or other routine? Lighting is very important to chickens laying. Has that changed? It doesn't have to be a light that you added or took away, it could be a security light or something like that. Going without water for a period of time can cause them to stop laying, say a couple of days without water.

Some diseases can cause egg laying problems. If they are acting normal that's probably not it. That is very low on my "Possible Cause" list from what you said in your post.

So what can you do other than be patient? If yours free range you can lock them in the coop or coop + run for a few days to see if eggs start showing up. If they do then they are either hiding a nest or you locked out an egg eating predator. If you don't have other hens laying you could mark an egg and leave it down there to see if it disappears.

If this has been a long time, at least a couple of weeks, you can look at their vents. If a hen is laying her vent is pink, moist, soft, and large. If she is not laying her vent should be tight and dry. Combs should turn from bright red to pale or more yellow when they are not laying. These changes do not happen overnight, I'm not sure two weeks is long enough for you to see a difference.

My guess is that there is a perfectly logical explanation for this, that nothing is really wrong with your hens. Two hens is not very many for a sample but with both suddenly stopping at the same time my most likely guess is that they are hiding a nest on you if that is possible.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

How long has it been since they suddenly stopped? It is not unusual for them to occasionally skip a few days.

The most common cause of a hen to stop laying is the molt. Is it possible your two went into a molt? Yes, stress can cause that. But that is highly unlikely. Unless you are seeing some of their feathers flying around it is not a molt. I just wanted to get this out of the way.

A very common cause of you thinking they have stopped laying is that they have started hiding a nest on you. I can't remember how you manage yours but they can be extremely clever at hiding a nest where you would never think they could.

Is something eating or getting the eggs? Many critters that eat eggs leave signs, egg shells or a wet spot. I'm not sure what critters you have in Germany that take eggs without leaving a trace but some common ones are snakes, canines, and humans. A snake typically eats some eggs and then disappears for two or three days to digest them before coming back for more. If eggs are consistently missing it is not a snake. Besides, it is probably too cold for you to worry about snakes.

A fox or something like that would probably be more interested in your hens so that is unlikely. A dog however can eat eggs and not harm the hens. Does a dog have access?

A human does not have to mean a thief. Sometimes people think something like this is a fun joke.

Sometimes a change in weather can cause them to skip a few days, especially if that weather is extreme.

Chickens don't like change. Have you changed their housing, added or taken chickens away so the pecking order changed, or other routine? Lighting is very important to chickens laying. Has that changed? It doesn't have to be a light that you added or took away, it could be a security light or something like that. Going without water for a period of time can cause them to stop laying, say a couple of days without water.

Some diseases can cause egg laying problems. If they are acting normal that's probably not it. That is very low on my "Possible Cause" list from what you said in your post.

So what can you do other than be patient? If yours free range you can lock them in the coop or coop + run for a few days to see if eggs start showing up. If they do then they are either hiding a nest or you locked out an egg eating predator. If you don't have other hens laying you could mark an egg and leave it down there to see if it disappears.

If this has been a long time, at least a couple of weeks, you can look at their vents. If a hen is laying her vent is pink, moist, soft, and large. If she is not laying her vent should be tight and dry. Combs should turn from bright red to pale or more yellow when they are not laying. These changes do not happen overnight, I'm not sure two weeks is long enough for you to see a difference.

My guess is that there is a perfectly logical explanation for this, that nothing is really wrong with your hens. Two hens is not very many for a sample but with both suddenly stopping at the same time my most likely guess is that they are hiding a nest on you if that is possible.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Thank you for your information. After reading your reply, I checked them carefully. They are pretty energetic; nothing wrong with the vent or the poo, and they don't hide or eat eggs.

However, I think I know the reason now. When I thought that they had finished their molting - in fact, not yet. They are good layers and stopped completely only at the very last stage of molting when it looked like they already had new feathers.

All three hens started to lay last week, with comparatively small eggs. I noticed one behavior that can be taken as an indicator, too. When they are still in molting, they usually run away when I get close to them (they also keep some distance from other hens); when they are ready to lay again soon, submissive squats happen.