Not laying eggs 3 months!!!

[PToledo81]

I'm hoping that someone can help me out... My 1 1/2 year old Australorp hasn't started laying eggs since her chicks hatched out three months ago!!! What could be wrong? Did she go sterile for some reason? Is there anything I can do to encourage her to start laying again? She did go through an intense molting right after hatching the eggs... Please help!

 

[nchls school]

I'm hoping that someone can help me out... My 1 1/2 year old Australorp hasn't started laying eggs since her chicks hatched out three months ago!!! What could be wrong? Did she go sterile for some reason? Is there anything I can do to encourage her to start laying again? She did go through an intense molting right after hatching the eggs... Please help!

Is the hen still caring for her brood? Most hens have left their chicks by three months of age, but not all. Provide a diet for egg laying and check for possible health problems.

 

[PToledo81]

Well, her chicks are still around. She does flip out when I take one of them away.. She'll start squawking and calling for them. If this is an indication that she is still caring for them, then yes...

 

[Alex1010]

She's still caring for them

 

[nchls school]

Well, her chicks are still around. She does flip out when I take one of them away.. She'll start squawking and calling for them. If this is an indication that she is still caring for them, then yes...

The hen will not start laying again until she has severed ties to her grown chicks. When she does she will stop clucking (calling the chicks to follow), stop using the food call, and actively drive the chicks away from her.

 

[Alex1010]

I have a Asil hen with 3 month old chicks they're bigger than her but she still calls them

 

[PToledo81]

Thank you for the replies! Makes me feel a little better!