Normal or eggbound?

[BeachMomma]

Can a hen be eggbound without symptoms?
Two of my 6 mo old girls are completely acting normal -drinking, eating, walking and pooping all good. However I'm only getting 1 egg a day for the past 5 days. There's no symptoms that I've seen which would cause alarm.(No penguin walk and no droopy tail)

Is this normal for this time of year as there's about 2 hrs less sunlight for us? It has been overcast and rainy all week too. Before this wk, I'd get 1 egg a day and another would lay every other day.

Any advice would be great!

 

[BeachMomma]

Anyone?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are your hens? Are they nearing their first or annual molt? What kind of food are they eating? There are many things that affect egg laying, and it is normal for them to take breaks occasionally. Not enough protein in the diet, summer heat, winter cold, molting, worms, the breed of chicken, and other things can stop laying. Here is a good link to help you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/423023/why-arent-my-chickens-laying-here-are-your-answers

 

[Jesusfreak101]

I agree with eggcessive and another question do they free range if so could they be hiding their nesting spot?

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with eggcessive and another question do they free range if so could they be hiding their nesting spot?

That is a common problem. I have one hen who continually walks across a highway to lay her egg in our corn crib every day. She disappeared a year ago for a month and suddenly she had 7 little chicks with her. I finally found her nest when she decided to raise some more, LOL. We have worried about her getting hit, but she is a very determined hen, so we have let her continue to lay there. At least I know where her eggs are.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Lol thats a stubborn bird lol. And so true it so much easier when you know where they lay at and where they are going lol. My husband was lucky he built our nesting boxes a few days after the hens started laying. They would lay in the coop where they use to sleep. He moved an old box trailer next to the coop they sleep on it instead of in the coop now but since my cats guard them and sleep with them i dont worry about predator to much and plus its right next to were the dogs sleep under the house(dogs are seperated by a fence) plus we have fields that are all around and raccoon and opossum wont come near And coyotes cant get in the fence in yard they free range in. We have birds of prey but were they sleep is a giant over hang that covers the entire house so no bad birds will go under there however doves to my annoyance seem to love it. Its neat in some ways they make nest and i can watch the babies grow but when you cant sleep (pregnant and have a two year old) they piss you off when they coo at five am.

 

[BeachMomma]

They're 6 month old Dominiques, so I don't believe I'll be dealing with molt yet. There's no excess feathers on the ground either. No signs of worms, as I mentioned everyone's poop is normal.

They're not free ranged, they have an enclosed run. Lol purposely so we didn't have to go egg hunting.
No changes in their food, it's layer pellets with separate oyster shell. They get an occasional handful of scratch every few days. No other kitchen scraps or treats.

I appreciate the responses, I'm just worried that one of our girls hasn't laid in a wk now and I don't want to go out and find her dead over something that I missed.

Oh and other than the endless rain all wk, it's in the 70s during the day.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Well i know that my girls some days two or three will lay and one wont and the next day that one will lay and another one wont lately its beem almost rare i get four egg total. Her laying cycle could have changed slightly from the others and she could be laying on days you think another one is laying. But i would take a look around the run just to make sure she didnt find a hiding spot some how.