Not laying anymore

[Big Red Kris]

I have a year old chicken that just quit laying. It used to be my most reliable chicken. About 4 weeks ago is when she stopped. It's like she is constipated.. she just hangs out in the box. I take her out and she runs, eats, drinks, etc.. but in a few minutes she is back in the box like she wants to lay.. any suggestions?

 

[ChickenGirl555]

I'm not experienced with health issues, but could she be broody? Otherwise, I'd ask somebody with more health experience like @chickens really

 

[chickens really]

Sounds Broody to me..Have a Rooster?..If not place her in an elevated crate with a wire bottom to break her..It will take about 5 days in that to cool her belly and get her out of her Broody trance..
If fertile eggs she can't hatch out Chicks for you in a Brooder box with feed and water..

 

[Stacyoung13]

I have a year old chicken that just quit laying. It used to be my most reliable chicken. About 4 weeks ago is when she stopped. It's like she is constipated.. she just hangs out in the box. I take her out and she runs, eats, drinks, etc.. but in a few minutes she is back in the box like she wants to lay.. any suggestions?

I have 2 reds just over a year old, one has been doing the exact same thing for about 3 weeks, she won't come off her nest. She acts just like a brooding hen, but she hasn't laid an egg. Before, she was laying everyday. She doesn't try to lay on the other chickens eggs or anything. She just sits there. I even introduced 5 new two month old chicks (I raised from day one) to the hen house, and she never looked twice, just sits in her nest. I'm open for suggestions also.

 

[aart]

You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for the new chicks and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with fed and water

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Feed and water added after pic was taken.