Solo chicken stopped laying

[LalaP]

Hi all,
I have a flock of 4 black Australorps that are a year and a half old. In the spring Ernesta started violently attacking the bottom hen, Dottie. I separated Ernesta and after a lot of work things went back to normal for a couple months. Then all three started attacking Dottie. They bit off the tip of a comb point! I tried everything… all the boredom busters, temporary separations, I took Dottie to the vet to make sure she is healthy but nothing helped. The chickens have plenty of coop and run space, no pests, all kinds of roosts and “furniture to climb on/hide behide, good food and water in several locations, plenty of free range time… etc. Dottie spent a lot of time in my house. Fast forward a couple months… I built Dottie her own coop and run. One area of her run is adjacent to the other chickens and separated only by chicken wire. They all hang out there together often. Dottie spends every morning and evening in the house with me and we have a routine… she preens and chats while I drink tea and read in the morning and we watch tv in the evenings. Soooo… I hope I am doing right by her. I love her and I think she is happy. BUT (here’s my question finally) Dottie went through a broody patch and I broke her of it after a few days but she hasn’t started laying eggs again. It’s been over a week. She’s not broody anymore but no eggs. Should I be concerned? I know egg production may slow down as the days shorten but it seems early for that. Does her solo lifestyle have anything to do with it?

Oh and while I have your ear… do you think spending time in my warm house and sleeping alone in the cold coop will make the chilly nights hard for her? I’m considering getting a ceramic heat emitter lamp (no light) for her coop. It’s an old shed so plenty big enough to keep it away from bedding and wings. It only gets down in the 30’s at night here so under normal circumstances I don’t worry about the cold for my chickens.

Thanks for your help!

 

[azygous]

It's mostly likely the shortening days responsible for the drop off in egg laying. She's also old enough for molt which often curtails laying.

Yes, she's spoiled, but she should do okay with the ceramic heat emitter you've planned for her coop.

You are living anecdotal evidence that a chicken can exist happily on their own as long as they have bonded with another living being. But if you can arrange for her coop and outdoor quarters to be in view of the other chickens, even though they may hate her, she would be even more content seeing that they are nearby.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Dottie went through a broody patch and I broke her of it after a few days but she hasn’t started laying eggs again. It’s been over a week. She’s not broody anymore but no eggs. Should I be concerned?

It's the norm that chickens don't lay after being broody. 2 weeks off is normal but it can take longer than that to resume.

Given the shortening days it's possible she will not resume laying at all this year.

 

[LalaP]

It's mostly likely the shortening days responsible for the drop off in egg laying. She's also old enough for molt which often curtails laying.

Yes, she's spoiled, but she should do okay with the ceramic heat emitter you've planned for her coop.

You are living anecdotal evidence that a chicken can exist happily on their own as long as they have bonded with another living being. But if you can arrange for her coop and outdoor quarters to be in view of the other chickens, even though they may hate her, she would be even more content seeing that they are nearby.

You were right about the molting. She just started today. Feathers everywhere. Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You were right about the molting. She just started today. Feathers everywhere. Thanks!

Molting is also typical for post broody birds, so just another reason for laying to stop for a while, as the hen recovers her condition.