Silkie Stopped Laying...?

[PonyRaindrop]

I have a sweet little splash silkie named Ying that I love dearly, but for about 3-4 months now she hasn't been laying.
Ying has had two extreme broodiness spurts, and after the last one she completely stopped laying.
She is only about a year and a half old, so I have to idea what is causing this. It doesn't bother me much if she doesn't lay again, but it would be nice because then I could hatch out some chickies from her.

 

[chickens really]

Is she molting?....What do you feed..Stress?...

 

[rebrascora]

Where in the world are you? If you include that information on your profile page we can see at a glance each time you post. In this case it is very relevant.

Moulting occurs annually once a bird is over a year old usually in the autumn/winter when the days are getting shorter. They will usually start up again when the days start getting longer. This may be as early as December around the winter solstice but many birds need more hours of daylight than those of winter and will wait until spring..... which is a much better time to be raising chicks anyway.

 

[PonyRaindrop]

Is she molting?....What do you feed..Stress?...

Where in the world are you? If you include that information on your profile page we can see at a glance each time you post. In this case it is very relevant.

Moulting occurs annually once a bird is over a year old usually in the autumn/winter when the days are getting shorter. They will usually start up again when the days start getting longer. This may be as early as December around the winter solstice but many birds need more hours of daylight than those of winter and will wait until spring..... which is a much better time to be raising chicks anyway.

She just got done with her molt, I live in Michigan. I give layer feed, scraps, and sometimes free range and provide supplemental lighting - they get 14 hours a day. I don't beleive she is stressed, as I'm sure it would have made a impact by now because it has been quite a few months. She spends a lot of her time in the nesting boxes, but not enough to be broody. She isn't acting sick or depressed, and she is about middle in the pecking order.
My six other hens are laying wonderful eggs, and have been for a while so I'm not sure why she isn't.

 

[chickens really]

Can take up to 6 weeks after molt to begin laying again..Sounds normal for a Hen that was Broody then molt...

 

[PonyRaindrop]

Can take up to 6 weeks after molt to begin laying again..Sounds normal for a Hen that was Broody then molt...

That makes sense then. Thanks for the help!

 

[rebrascora]

Are your other hens production birds and are they the same age as the silkie? Silkies have a more natural body clock which is why they exhibit broody behaviour. Her body clock may not be so easily fooled by your artificial lighting compared to more intensively bred egg production birds. Most hens will take a natural break from laying during at least some of the winter after their first full cycle. When that ends depends to some extent upon when they hatched and started laying. I would not be overly concerned if she is eating and drinking and behaving normally, but I would perhaps monitor her weight and/or body condition on a regular basis.

 

[PonyRaindrop]

Are your other hens production birds and are they the same age as the silkie? Silkies have a more natural body clock which is why they exhibit broody behaviour. Her body clock may not be so easily fooled by your artificial lighting compared to more intensively bred egg production birds. Most hens will take a natural break from laying during at least some of the winter after their first full cycle. When that ends depends to some extent upon when they hatched and started laying. I would not be overly concerned if she is eating and drinking and behaving normally, but I would perhaps monitor her weight and/or body condition on a regular basis.

All the other hens are normal everyday layers - orphigntons, barred rocks, and Easter eggers. They are a few weeks younger then her. Would she have stopped laying so soon though? Her last broody spurt ended late summer, and that is when she stopped laying. Would they usually stop so early or is that normal?

 

[rebrascora]

It can be normal.... bearing in mind that normal can span a wide amount of variation. Broodiness is caused by hormonal changes. Moulting is also triggered by hormones. A fluctuation in one hormone can trip a surge or decline in another. My light sussex moulted mid summer after being broody for most of the spring and summer. After a couple of months she started to look better but now she is going through a second very light moult at the correct time with the rest of the flock. I'm not overly concerned as she is otherwise acting normal.

 

[PonyRaindrop]

It can be normal.... bearing in mind that normal can span a wide amount of variation. Broodiness is caused by hormonal changes. Moulting is also triggered by hormones. A fluctuation in one hormone can trip a surge or decline in another. My light sussex moulted mid summer after being broody for most of the spring and summer. After a couple of months she started to look better but now she is going through a second very light moult at the correct time with the rest of the flock. I'm not overly concerned as she is otherwise acting normal.

That is true, makes sense. Thanks for the help!