My RIR is a dud. ***UPDATE***

[horsewishr]

My worst layer is my 10-month-old RIR. She started out great, and laid almost every day for about 3 months. Then practically nothing. Over the winter I got a couple of doulbe-shelled eggs, shell-less eggs, and misshapen eggs. But mostly nothing, day after day. She hasn't laid in weeks, although I get about 2 eggs a day from the other three hens. On the rare occasion when I do get an egg from the RIR, it's usually small, pale, and thin-shelled. What could be wrong with my her? She looks great and acts perfectly healthy.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I'd keep an eye on her. Sounds like her egg-processing plumbing isn't doing so well.

 

[arlee453]

Probably just the way she was made. On a production farm, she'd be culled and no chicks hatched from her.

Keep a watch on her for any dangerous egg laying issues, like being egg bound, internal layer, etc.

If she is a healthy chicken otherwise, you can just enjoy her as part of the flock for entertainment value.

 

[horsewishr]

Quote:
She is entertaining. She's by far the biggest dingbat in the flock. She's always getting distracted when free-ranging. The others will have moved on to a new area--and then Rue discovers that she's "all alone." She has a big panic attack, and goes squawking and running after the others. It's the same thing, over and over!

 

[horsewishr]

OK, she just made a liar out of me. This morning she laid the biggest egg we've gotten from ANY of the girls: 2.5 ounces. It had her trademark (small) wrinkles on the large end, but other than that it was perfect. And I know it's her egg, because I saw her in the nest.

 

[Stormhorse23]

congrats!

 

[arlee453]

Just like kids.....