Pullet started laying and stopped

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

Hello friends!
This is my first round of chickens ever. They are all 22 weeks.

My Meyer lakeshore egger laid her first green egg on September 9 and the 2 days later her second. Since then nothing. Both eggs were laid in the best box early in the day.

I do let my girls free range from 5-dusk during the week and then longer on the weekend. Since they are all just beginning to lay i am trying to wait until about noon to let them out to encourage the use of the best box.

She seems to be acting fine but i am curious if she is ok. Her breed info says she could lay 4 eggs a week. I am guessing it’s typical at the beginning of laying that they don’t lay as many as often but i wasn’t sure. Just want to keep up with their health if i am missing something.

Thanks for the input!

 

[True Patriot]

When they start laying the plumbing may take a bit to warm up. Keep an eye on her just to make sure there isn't a problem. She should get into a normal routine on her own. This time of year they tend to start to slow down also.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

She should be fine. Also, you have a similar name as me!

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

When they start laying the plumbing may take a bit to warm up. Keep an eye on her just to make sure there isn't a problem. She should get into a normal routine on her own. This time of year they tend to start to slow down also.

So i thought once they started laying they go through about a 3 month cycle of learning to lay before they slow down based on the day length. I read a blog about how getting chicks in July helped ensure eggs through the winter because of this. I have only being raising chickens since April though so i am just trying to learn from others experience.

 

[True Patriot]

So i thought once they started laying they go through about a 3 month cycle of learning to lay before they slow down based on the day length. I read a blog about how getting chicks in July helped ensure eggs through the winter because of this. I have only being raising chickens since April though so i am just trying to learn from others experience.

Going by what I've seen posted by others. It seems that the late year laying is more likely with certain breeds. It also seems pretty individualized, some will continue to lay while others will slow. Still, while she's new to laying there are a lot of variables, I wouldn't be very concerned yet.

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

Going by what I've seen posted by others. It seems that the late year laying is more likely with certain breeds. It also seems pretty individualized, some will continue to lay while others will slow. Still, while she's new to laying there are a lot of variables, I wouldn't be very concerned yet.

I was so relieved to see her in the nesting box this morning while i was doing chores. She stayed until after i left so i thought i would see something when i got home from work. Still no egg. I am so puzzled as i thought by her actions this morning that she was laying. I don’t want to over think anything but i also don’t want to miss something important like getting egg bound.

 

[MissChick@dee]

You could glove up and get lubricant get everything nice and slick. Use your index finger to feel for a egg if she’s egg bound. When my young girls lay for the first time they can spend a lot of time in the box. I’ll give them a chunk of Tums inside a grape just for the extra shot of calcium. So far they lay with in hours when I do this. My young pullets have only gone a few days (3) with out laying. Are you sure she hasn’t laid in a hidden spot? The time frame seems kinda weird. I’m not sure how long a egg bound hen could survive. I’d check just to be safe it doesn’t hurt them.

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

You could glove up and get lubricant get everything nice and slick. Use your index finger to feel for a egg if she’s egg bound. When my young girls lay for the first time they can spend a lot of time in the box. I’ll give them a chunk of Tums inside a grape just for the extra shot of calcium. So far they lay with in hours when I do this. My young pullets have only gone a few days (3) with out laying. Are you sure she hasn’t laid in a hidden spot? The time frame seems kinda weird. I’m not sure how long a egg bound hen could survive. I’d check just to be safe it doesn’t hurt them.

Well i am not 100% sure that she isn’t hiding it. But we are all over our property most days with our young girls and check the areas where they spend most of their days. I have not found any of hers but have found a few eggs. Maybe i will try the calcium thing and see how that goes and then if nothing by tomorrow glove up and see if there is anything going on.

 

[BGcoop]

I’m new to this too and when my first girl started laying she laid about 3 eggs then took about a two week “vacation” and has just started back up again. (I even put a fake egg in the box just in case she was hiding them elsewhere and limited their free range time to supervised visits only! Ha ha!) During the time she wasn’t laying she would have days where she would spend time sitting in the nest box getting my hopes up just to laugh at me when I would go check.
But yay! Today I found two eggs so another girl has started laying! I’m hoping she gives me less dramatics.

 

[aart]

Well i am not 100% sure that she isn’t hiding it. But we are all over our property most days with our young girls and check the areas where they spend most of their days. I have not found any of hers but have found a few eggs. Maybe i will try the calcium thing and see how that goes and then if nothing by tomorrow glove up and see if there is anything going on.

They can be very sneaky about where they hide their eggs.
I'd confine them to coop and run for a week first(see below)....then maybe think about gloving up or adding calcium. An egg bound bird will usually appear to be very ill.

Meyer lakeshore egger

Not sure how prolific this 'breed', or rather cross, is at laying...she may be being affected by the shorter days....not all pullets lay thru the Dark Season.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.