No Eggs?

[Jolly Rancher]

Is it normal for hens to stop laying when they move to a new environment? The person I bought them from said they had been laying, but I haven't seen a single egg yet. I bought them a week ago.

 

[MissPrissy]

Welcome to BYC.

Yes, moving and a new home is very stressful on them. They do often stop laying. Once they get comfortable and settle in they will begin to lay again. It could be tomorrow, next or even next month. Feed them well and they will start back but you have to be patient.

 

[Bammony]

Yeah, I'd say that's normal. Mine take about a week off after leaving here or coming here. Stress from being moved can do that. Also, if you already had some chickens that you had put these girls in with, it'll take some time (and some stress) for them to sort out the new pecking order.

 

[Jahlers]

I'm so glad you asked this question. My mom gave me 2 hens and 10 fertilized eggs in July. (All the eggs belonged to one hen, the other's nest had been stolen by a hen whose eggs were eaten by a predator.) Its a 2.5 hour trip back to my place, and the eggs were cheeping by the time we got home. Within the next 48 hours, I had 6 chicks. Now they are all still doing well, both hens seem to take care of them, but they only roost with the real mom, and the other hen goes to the upstairs of the barn to roost by herself.
But neither of them has started laying any eggs yet. Its October. WIll they ever lay eggs again? I know they will, but when?