Past brood hen not laying

[AnimlCrakrAcres]

I searched but couldn't find any answers to this. I have a 2yr old serama hen whom was broody for about two weeks before I finally put her in a wire cage for a day and ended her brood cycle. That was two weeks ago and while she has not gone back to brooding she has not been laying either. She was laying an egg every other day before she started brooding. She eats and runs around the yard with the other chickens, takes treats from my hand and seems to be in good health. Its not too hot here and their lights are still on a timer as normal. She is not molting and her vent looks fine. I have not changed anything around in their environment or added anyone new and I have not changed their layer feed. She has plenty of oyster shell, omega three egg layer stuff, ground up hard boiled eggs with the shell, and even some tums calcium sprinkled on her treats. There are no snakes or vermin that could get to the eggs before I do unless they are Houdini. She has all the feathers on her head so my roo is not mating with her or stressing her. I've even put the golf balls back in the nests to encourage her to start laying again. The only thing that is different about her is she still hasn't regrown the feathers on her tummy she pulled out when brooding.She was my only laying hen (the others are too young or boys) and I miss the occasional egg. Is she protesting me not letting her brood?

 

[Fraunie]

Grrr. I was just going to post this same thing!!!!

Mine was broody for almost 3 weeks and has seemed to assimilate back into the flock just fine..she is getting picked on a tiny bit by the others, but nothing out of the ordinary. the only thing different is that our only other full sized hen got eaten when she was brooding....so now she is the only full sized, with one turkey and two bantams. She used to stick by the other one quite a bit.

I'm now down to one egg layer, a bantam every other day, my Aussie used to lay about 4-5 per week!! I am happy to see her out and about again, but I would also LOVE her to give me an egg, too!!!

 

[Den in Penn]

A hen when coming off brood doesn't lay for several weeks to a couple of months. This allows them to raise their chicks with out distraction. Laying more eggs would be as waste of their efforts before the first clutch was raised, either losing the first clutch through neglect or the second not being able to hatch them.

 

[annroberts54]

I asked this same question recently myself. I had 2 out of 3 of my laying age hens go broody at the same time. They stayed broody for over a month. Then took about 2 weeks to finally start laying again. Patience is the name of the game, I am afraid.

 

[Fraunie]

Darn, thanks!!

 

[AnimlCrakrAcres]

yes, thanks for all the replies. While she is readjusting is there anything in the meantime I can do to help encourage her to lay? set up more nesting boxes with fake eggs? give extra protein? Take away the nesting boxes because they remind her of being broody? or will she just decided one day to lay?

 

[Den in Penn]

She'll lay when she is ready. No sooner.

 

[stargazingmommy]

it took my salmon fave about 3 weeks to start laying again after breaking broody. However, she's now broody for the third time since november(and sitting on a duck egg)