Newly laying leghorn stopped laying

[Harvest]

I have 2 leghorns, 2 brahmas, and a barred rock. All are 21 weeks. Last week the pne leghorn started to lay, 1 egg per day X 3. She was really upset when I removed her eggs. Wouldn't leave the house

Then I found a shell-less egg with an attached unformed egg ? attached in the box. I do not know if this egg was from the same chicken.
Now, 4 days and no eggs at all. The leghorn hangs out in the run and seems to sit alot. She is puffed up a seems to be fluffy

New to this chicken raising obviously

I have not found any eggs in the run.
I think an animal has been lurking about the hen house @ night. I found some evidence of chewing on a boardframe for the run. That day they didn't want to come out of the house in the morning. I lost a chicken a week before any eggs were laid, to a racoon, I think ,so I created a fully covered run to protect them.

They are eating Layena plus the weeds from my garden, melon, special bread treats and extras.
So many issues that I can't decide what to address. Anyone willing to advise me, please ?
I really like these girls and if they are having an issue I would like to help.

Thank you
T

 

[featherz]

Sounds like you could have a rare thing.. a broody leghorn!!

Either that, or she's ill. Does she growl and puff up when you come near or just sit and let you pick her up.. Does she look ill? Is she eating? Poop ok? I had an internal laying leghorn who did similar things, but 'getting upset when I took her eggs' makes me wonder.

 

[chics in the sun]

Is she just staying in the nest box? Does she make growly noises? It's unusual, but it's possible that she is broody. I had a leghorn go broody just a few months after she started laying. This is what she looked like:

As puffy as a skinny leghorn could get, anyway. She hatched out 7 out of 8 babies and was a great Mama!
But if you don't want more chicks you will have to isolate her away from the nest box to cool off her 'bum'. Some people dunk their belly in cool water to break them out of it, too, but I have not done that. I am very proficient at chicken math, so I usually find hatching eggs for them to set when I get a broody.

 

[Harvest]

My confusion comes in with the fact that she is only 21 weeks old and only laid 3 eggs !! Do hens go broody that fast? This may be a silly question but I thought they try to lay clutches of eggs... 3?
She appears to be very healthy. She does not growl but does sit when I lay my hand on her back.
I believe they continue to be harassed by someone lurking outside of their home @ night. They are extra cautious when leaving the house in the morning when I open it up.
Last week, I just remembered I found the nesting box overturned ( I have used plasitc storage containers). I have now attached them to the house. Perhaps she was scared when she tried to get into the box?

I suppose I just need to wait and see, having done everything I can to make it comfortable for the girls

I also went to purchase calcium yesterday to help the shell -less egg from another chicken. The store owner told me that everyone is having issues in my part of CT with this. I was wondering if the excessive rain and dampness could be causing this as the issue is so widespread ?

Thanks for the thoughts, I am definately a jelly egg

T

 

[chics in the sun]

One good way to see if she is truly broody is to check on her at night. If she stays in the nest box all fluffed up and doesn't go up to the roost with the rest of them, that is a good indicator. It's spring, so yeah, lots of them are acting like this. I have only nine chickens and three have gone broody so far. If it were a predator, I imagine they would stay on the roost, but I could be wrong.

 

[elweaselgrande]

I have two leghorns in my flock, the laid an egg a day each for a week or to and then just stopped. They are allowed all over the large back yard, they have constant access to pellets, they are feed scratch twice a day and few dinners are made without "prep" trimmings being delivered late afternoon. They are healthy and without fleas or any visible ticks, I put DE in the coop with cedar sawdust ( a friend supplies us from his shop, he does craft shows, nice work too - sidebar) anyhoooo the girls are not laying, any ideas?