Laying strike?

[schambo]

This is Lulu the Bovans Brown. She used to be one of a two-bird flock but her friend was killed by a raccoon a little over a month ago. She hasn’t layed an egg since the attack - she was previously an almost daily layer. I am guessing that maybe the stress triggered a soft molt and that's why she's not laying? In that time, I also replaced her dead friend with two 8 week pullets and moved them all into a slightly bigger coop, so there have been a lot of changes in her world.
She seems otherwise healthy, though I do notice more of her feathers around the yard than I used to. She eats and drinks well; lately she’s been eating a grower crumble like her new friends with free choice oyster shells, and supplemented with dried black soldier fly larvae for extra protein. She also mainly free-ranges in my small, suburban back yard.
Any other tips? Right now I have 3 birds and no eggs, which is not an ideal ratio

 

[sourland]

Going by her looks, she will soon start another laying cycle.

 

[schambo]

Going by her looks, she will soon start another laying cycle.

What do you mean?

 

[aart]

She also mainly free-ranges in my small, suburban back yard.

She may have found a better place to lay what with all the disruption.
Might do a butt check then keep her confined until she uses the coop nests again.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[schambo]

She may have found a better place to lay what with all the disruption.
Might do a butt check then keep her confined until she uses the coop nests again.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

Okay, so her pubic bones are more than 2 fingertips apart. I don’t know how tight/moist/large her vent is supposed to look, so I can’t really tell whether hers indicates laying or not. (EDIT: More research makes me think it's fairly tight and dry). She’s been mostly confined to a run for the past week or so, so I really don’t think she’s laying somewhere else. She often will hang out in the nest box for an hour or so midmorning, but still no eggs (we are now at 7 weeks of no eggs.)

She still seems healthy, as far as I can tell, but I’m not a great one to recognize health problems in chickens yet. She doesn’t seem to eat or poop a whole lot, but she does eat and poop at least some.

The only issue I’ve seen recently is some occasional poop in her butt feathers. I gave her a nice bath the last time I noticed it, maybe 3-4 weeks ago, and trimmed some of the feathers back there. I have just noticed a little bit more. Am I allowed to post a picture of her butt here?

She seems happy enough, and my best guess is still a very soft molt, but I’d hate it if she were either secretly suffering OR sick with something that she’ll pass on to the new pullets.

 

[schambo]

Okay, we’re still at week 12 with no change and no eggs. She has some totally bald spots on her underside, but she’s had those for a few weeks and they don’t seem to be growing new feathers? She still hangs out in the nest box sometimes and occasionally sings the egg song, but not a single egg in nearly 3 months. Any feedback or suggestions?

 

[rosemarythyme]

How old is she? If she's older than roughly 16-18 months-ish, she might just go straight into molt without resuming laying for the rest of the year.

 

[schambo]

I’m wondering that. I think she’s about 2; when we got her last June (2021) she was young but laying regularly, so probably at least 6 months if not older, which would make her at least 21 months if not older. She’s definitely a breed bred for laying and laid all last winter, but I know that slows down with age.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am surprised that she has not been laying after that much time. I see you are north of me, so I am assuming your days are getting shorter.

My suggestion, is the next day off, sit out there with a cup of coffee, and a book. Sit out there for quite a while, checking on where she is. AArt is thinking a hidden nest, and sometimes you are absolutely positive they do not have a hidden nest and they do.

If she disappears, follow her. Otherwise, you are right, she is in a long slow molt, and more than likely nothing till spring.

Mrs K