Started laying...then stopped :(

[Toby96]

So one my 25 week old RIR's laid her first egg about a month ago, within about 10 days I had a total of 3 eggs, I wasn't worried as I knew they take a while to get into a routine, so I wait and wait and nothing, her comb has grew and reddened when she started laying but that was nearly a month ago and the last egg was over 2 weeks ago, nothing has changed, food same, house same, same other chickens with her, why? Please someone!!

 

[Farm Frenzy]

Are you sure she's not hiding them? I have found about 6 eggs that my girls buried in the dirt in their coop!!!

 

[Toby96]

Yep, there is no place she can hid them,

anyone have any ideas??

 

[chickenbottom]

they might be eating them

 

[Toby96]

No, I know when she's been in the nest box as it's all messed up in there, but she hasn't been in there for weeks! And there is a dummy egg in there.

 

[chickenbottom]

sometimes they dont always lay in the nest boxes and they lay on the ground and just eat it. also maybe this would be a very bad thing maybe she all of a sudden has internal laying which is like it sounds laying inside. lets hope thats not it

 

[Toby96]

Ok so later I'm planning on upgrading the coop so I will be around them all day, any behaviour I should look out for or anything I should feel?

 

[chickenbottom]

i would just keep an eye on her and how she is acting im not sure how to tell if they are laying internally wrote by speckledhen It may start with an infection some high production hens get when the cloaca becomes "loose" and allows feces back into the oviduct. An infection starts and egg material builds up in the oviduct, like layers of an onion. They stop laying, then they eventually began to lose weight, in spite of eating and drinking normally. They then become weak and pass away.
Internal laying is supposedly a hormone issue that cannot be corrected, a genetic thing. The only cure is a hysterectomy.
I have lost four hens to it and a fifth, who was on death's doorstep, rallied after we did some heavy penicillin injections. How or why she lived and is laying again, I have no idea, but she had the exact same symptoms as the other four and had no breast meat left. Now, she's back to normal. i dont know how to tell as they just lose weight like speckledhen has already wrote in another post here is another link of graphic pictures and about internal laying https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=186940

 

[Toby96]

well this not laying has been going on for almost 2 weeks and she has not lost any weight, look darn healthy tbh, not sure what I should do!

 

[chickenbottom]

keep an eye on her and search the coop high and low for eggs she could of layed em and they be burried now anything is possible good luck with her