when will laying resume after brooding ends?

[jdfette]

My 7 mos old Black Copper Maran was laying eggs and then became broody for several days. However, her broodiness ended about 2 mos ago but she has not started laying again. Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mainly be patient, hard as that can be. It is really hard to tell when she will start laying again. There re just too many different factors. Each chicken is an individual. Some pullets lay throughout their first winter with no supplemental lights, some don't. I've had broody hens actually go through a molt fairly early in the fall and start laying just when the others started molting.

Many broody hens return to laying 2 to 4 weeks after their broodiness is over. When they are broody they mostly live off of excess fat they store up expressly for that purpose. They have to replace that excess fat before they start to lay again. That can take a while. Also when they are broody their internal egg making factory dries up so they have to revitalize that before they start laying again. That is typical, but not all are typical. I had one broody hen start laying 2-1/2 weeks after her chicks hatched. She had not even weaned them yet. You just can't tell what is going to happen with any specific hen.

That said, are you sure she is not hiding a nest on you? Especially this time if year in the northern hemisphere the most common reason for a hen to not be laying is the molt. Probably the second most common reason is that they are hiding a nest on you. They can be really sneaky. If you look at her vent and it is small, tight. and dry, she is not laying. If her vent is large and moist she probably is.

Good luck!