My hen stopped laying...

[Kiki]

B

BUt she's not laying.. since her last molt

Maybe she's not laying cuz she's not getting enough calcium?
Is this the same bird you were posting about last year that was sick with the respiratory disease?

 

[Laddu]

If you offered her the oyster shell on the side, it wouldn't matter. She would consume that too meet her extra calcium needs if she started to lay again.
Keeping birds on a higher protein level all flock type feed is superior to using layer feed which has less protein and forces them to consume calcium that they do not always need.
How old is she? Where are you keeping her?

She's 3 years old and I have her as my pet .. but since she lays eggs I want the best for her. So I'm just worried if I should continue giving her the same feed as it will affect her health.

 

[Laddu]

Maybe she's not laying cuz she's not getting enough calcium?
Is this the same bird you were posting about last year that was sick with the respiratory disease?

Yes .. but she never had any issues like this..
My dog bite her n that was I was talking about

 

[Laddu]

Diet doesn't affect laying unless it very poor. What has her diet been? A nice layer with good protein or a grower with oyster shell on the side.
She could also be depressed, chickens need other chickens.

She's on the same diet since she start laying eggs.

 

[Kiki]

Yes .. but she never had any issues like this..
My dog bite her n that was I was talking about

Well, having a respiratory disease and getting bitten by a dog probably has something to do with why she's not laying in addition to what she's eating.

 

[nuthatched]

She's on the same diet since she start laying eggs.

Which is what? I'm sorry, I didn't see it mentioned yet?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can I give her all grower feed (6-40 weeks) chicken feed . As it has no protein.

Laddu, does that feed bag have a nutrition label? One that shows the composition of the nutrients in that feed. Something that looks something like this. It might help us to see what feed you are talking about. Of main interest are percent protein and the minimum and maximum calcium. Names like "Grower" and "Layer" are more generalized names and don't always mean the same thing. I have no idea what an "all grower feed (6-40 weeks) chicken feed" would be. If you could post a photo of that label or a link so we can find it online could be very helpful.

Hens actively laying eggs need excess amounts of calcium for the egg shells. Studies have shown that non-laying chickens "can" damage their internal organs by eating that much calcium on a regular basis. "Can" does not mean that it will each and every time but it sometimes does happen. Damage to internal organs is not always visible from the outside. In these studies they cut the chickens open to see what is actually going on. Most of these studies are on growing chicks but there have been some on mature chickens. I remember a specific Canadian study on roosters.

Since there is the possibility of internal damage I consider it best practices to not feed excess calcium to non-laying chickens on a regular basis. One bite will not hurt them but a consistent diet might. Even if they are not laying they still need a small amount of calcium for body maintenance so she should be getting some calcium, around 1% as opposed to 4% calcium for active layers.

I hate to get into the protein discussion. Some people have very strong opinions about how much they need. In my opinion you have a fairly wide range of protein you can give them and them be healthy. If you are raising show chickens or meat birds there are higher requirements. The amount of protein for egg laying birds affects the size of those eggs more than the number. As you can see others have differing opinions.

Before I'd offer an opinion on that feed I'd need to know what is in the feed. Good luck!

 

[WendyTestaburger]

She needs calcium even if she isn't laying.

If you're sure that it's not lack of calcium then it could be a reproductive disease or cancer. It's not uncommon for chickens as young as 1.5 years old to develop reproductive issues. I'd take her to an avian vet for an ultrasound to see if you can figure out any medical reason why she may not be laying.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some birds do slow down on laying sooner than others, or may take longer coming back into lay after molting, especially as they get start getting older. If the hen is still eating well and active then that's the important part, especially as a pet.

I would not feed layer if she's not actually laying.