No more eggs!!!!!

[Chuck70]

My RIRstopped laying eggs about 3 weeks ago. She is acting fine other than not laying eggs. Great appetite she was a great layer but just stopped. Not malting. Any ideas I'm all ears?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Where are you located? That will play into possible causes to the "lay-off" you are seeing in your bird. How old is this bird?

 

[araeihrig]

My mother-in-law's New Hampshire Red hens quit laying too. They hatched in march of 2014. As soon as we slaughtered some of the older chickens they quit laying.

 

[theoldchick]

Breed, disease, age, diet and environment are a few things that regulate the egg laying of a hen. The shorter days will slow production for some breeds. Poor quality diet and parasites will stop production in most hens. Internal laying, which at first can be undetectable in some hens as their nature is to hide illness, first reveals itself as a sudden loss of egg production. Eventually the hen affected with this condition will develop ascites, weight loss and eventually die.

Just a few things to consider.

 

[araeihrig]

I'll definitely let her know. I know the older hens we didn't slaughter are still laying just fine . It's the two NHR's that aren't laying. It's weird. But I will definitely bring these issues up to her.

 

[Keeper of Birds]

I also have a RIR that is not laying properly. We have 4 that are turning 4 soon but she has been laying well. Her latest egg had blood on it and she is broody.

Please tell what is wrong and how to fix it. Thx.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I also have a RIR that is not laying properly. We have 4 that are turning 4 soon but she has been laying well. Her latest egg had blood on it and she is broody.

Please tell what is wrong and how to fix it. Thx.

Welcome - what exactly do you mean by "laying properly"? If this hen is 4 years old, there is going to be a change in her production in comparison to, say, a pullet in her first laying cycle. You mention that the hen is broody, that has a major impact on production as a broody hen stops laying in order to devote herself to the process of incubating her eggs and raising her chicks - the hormonal shift involved in broodiness is such that it causes a cessation in ovulation/egg production. From what you have said here, I am reading a situation that is not so much about anything being "wrong" and is simply the expected progression one would see with an older hen and/or a broody hen. As far as the blood on the egg - that is not at all uncommon. All it takes is for one of the many vessels an egg passes by to have the smallest of rupture and you have blood on the egg - when you consider the vessel rich nature of a reproductive tract and the amount of pressure put on it as the egg passes through you would expect to see the occasional rupture.

 

[Keeper of Birds]

Thank you so much! But she isn't sitting on any eggs and the others are to scared to lay their eggs in the roost right now but thank you. At least I now know she is not sick.