Where do I begin?

[TJAnonymous]

I have an Ameraucana hen who is just under a year old. She finally started laying some beautiful light blue eggs around the end of July in a discarded nesting box in my barn... This is not typically where any of my chickens lay... They have a completely separate run and coop with 2 or 3 different areas that have nesting boxes.

This particular hen, though, was flying over the fence and just felt more comfortable in the barn, I guess....

Anyway, around Halloween she stopped laying altogether. She seemed to be molting so I chalked it up to that.... Two months later she has nearly all her feathers back but STILL is not laying.... Or if she is laying, I have no idea where she is laying her eggs. I have looked around the barn and don't see any eggs. I've checked all the nesting boxes in the run and two coops but no blue eggs (she is the only blue layer I have that is old enough to lay).

Should I be worried? I know chickens take a winter break.... I have 15 adult hens and am only getting 3-4 eggs per day. But is that normal for a hen to stop laying for 2 months.... Without being sick?

 

[azygous]

This is entirely normal. Each hen has her own genetically programmed clock that determines when she molts and when her pineal gland will respond to the amount of daylight it will require to stimulate ovulation. Your hen's clock is ticking away, and one of these days, the amount of daylight will become exactly right, and she will begin laying.

 

[kcan2]

I have a hen who hasn't laid since November 14! Definitely a winter strike

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've always felt it was important to let my girls have a break as nature intended... But in the 3 years I've had BO, they've never stopped laying for 2+ months so this is a new experience for me.

 

[aart]

They could have found a nesting place that you just haven't found yet.
It's downside to ranging birds.

Might time for some exams:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then maybe.....
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/run 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.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!