My Girls Stopped Laying Eggs

[chilman]

My little silkies have stopped laying eggs. My blue silkie has not laid an egg in about 3 weeks and she is loosing a bunch of her feathers. She seems to be healthy and has a great appetite. My buff silkie stopped laying eggs before easter. A friend gave us a frizzle hen who was sitting on eggs and so the silkie decided she wanted to sit on eggs as well. The frizzle began laying eggs after we took the eggs she was sitting on away. We gave the silkie plastic easter eggs to sit on and then we were told that as long as she was sitting on eggs she would not lay. We took the eggs away immediatley and still no eggs. The buff silky has not lost any feathers. There living conditions have not changed. They are well fed and live like little queens.

 

[chicmom]

Hello!

Your little hen that is losing feathers and has stopped laying is molting. During the molt, their bodies are using their energy on making more feathers. Feathers are made of mostly protein, so during that time, you don't get eggs. It can take a while.

Now, silkies, are noted for being very broody. Broodiness is a hormonal thing that really drives them to set on and hatch eggs. If they've been broody, like you've described, they will quit laying and it can take a while for them to start up again.

So that's why you're not getting eggs. There's really nothing wrong, it's just the molting and/or the broodiness.

Silkies are little darlings, but if you want fresh eggs, it might be a good idea to think about getting 3 hens that are known for egg laying, like the Rhode Island Red, or maybe some White Leghorns, or maybe a hybrid like the Golden Buff.

Take care and hang in there, those eggs will come eventually! (I know, I hate going to the grocery store and having to buy eggs when I own chickens!)

 

[chilman]

thanks a million for your response! We are new at this chicken stuff so we aren't really sure what is going on...but now I do. All of this is a learning experience for us. We love our babies and they are probably treated better than someones favored household dog or cat. They have chicken diapers they wear so they can come hang out in the house with us. They actually belong to my daughter and she just loves them to death!

 

[MomsGoneMild]

Do chicken diapers really work?

xoxo Annmarie