Why doesn't my hen lay eggs?

[yeahd00d]

I have 8 hens, all of them except 1 lays eggs. Production drops in winter as expected, however I have an easter egger that never laid consistently. I would get maybe 1-2 eggs per week for about 4 months when she was just starting to lay at about 6-7 months old. That was last fall 2016. After coming out of winter into spring 2017 I thought she would start laying, but I haven't gotten a single egg from her through 2017. All my other hens lay normally. I haven't been able to find any articles on someone having a similar issue. She will be 2 this coming spring. I would expect egg production to drop at that time but I haven't gotten any eggs from her in a year.

Has anyone ever had this happen with any hens? I know for a fact I haven't gotten eggs from her because she was laying bright blue eggs and all my other girls lay brown eggs.

 

[staceyj]

Does she seem healthy otherwise?

Might just be whacky wiring combined with cold/shorter days.

But it also could be internal laying.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Did she go through the motions of laying this year? Sit in a nest box, sing the egg song, etc? Or did she skip all of that?

 

[yeahd00d]

She's seems healthy otherwise. She hasn't gone through any egg laying motions. Never in the nest box, no egg song, just walks around not giving me eggs. Only thing was the end of the summer this year I would find her perched in the coop alone in the afternoons. I thought that was weird, but other than that she seems healthy.

 

[nminusyplusm]

She's seems healthy otherwise. She hasn't gone through any egg laying motions. Never in the nest box, no egg song, just walks around not giving me eggs. Only thing was the end of the summer this year I would find her perched in the coop alone in the afternoons. I thought that was weird, but other than that she seems healthy.

Well, then I'm stumped...

 

[yeahd00d]

Well, then I'm stumped...

Well I'm glad I'm not alone being stumped! I thought she would start up again but never did. I thought maybe she was sick or something but she acts fine. She was from a hatchery so I also though maybe just bad genes and bad layer?

 

[nminusyplusm]

Sorry I couldn't help! But I'm sure way more knowledgable people will show up and have a better idea of what's going on.

 

[Beer can]

Not all hens are good layers, even in typically excellent laying breeds. I've had some leghorns and golden comets that were not very good layers at all and some that were egg laying machines.
While easter eggers are generally very good layers I had one I'm pretty sure never laid a egg and was healthy. I used to have multiple breeds/colored eggs I'm down to just brown egg laying naked necks and jersey giants, with just one older easter egger and one polish (the kids favorites so I can't cull them). While they were both great layers in the first yr, then not so good the second, either four or five yrs now? I've only got maybe a dozen white eggs from the polish in the last yr and a few dozen maybe from the EE.
It's not for everyone but I cull most of my hens second yr after their laying tapers off the second yr. Unless they are being used for breeding and hatching. I like to have some young pullets come into lay in the fall they will typically lay all cold dreary winter.
My naked necks who are probably not the greatest of winter layers are laying bonkers right now, the jersey giants that are usually great winter layers completely stopped a month ago, even the young one's not a single egg in that coop for over a month

 

[yeahd00d]

Not all hens are good layers, even in typically excellent laying breeds. I've had some leghorns and golden comets that were not very good layers at all and some that were egg laying machines.
While easter eggers are generally very good layers I had one I'm pretty sure never laid a egg and was healthy. I used to have multiple breeds/colored eggs I'm down to just brown egg laying naked necks and jersey giants, with just one older easter egger and one polish (the kids favorites so I can't cull them). While they were both great layers in the first yr, then not so good the second, either four or five yrs now? I've only got maybe a dozen white eggs from the polish in the last yr and a few dozen maybe from the EE.
It's not for everyone but I cull most of my hens second yr after their laying tapers off the second yr. Unless they are being used for breeding and hatching. I like to have some young pullets come into lay in the fall they will typically lay all cold dreary winter.
My naked necks who are probably not the greatest of winter layers are laying bonkers right now, the jersey giants that are usually great winter layers completely stopped a month ago, even the young one's not a single egg in that coop for over a month

That makes me feel a little better. I haven’t seen much about hens laying and then just never laying again. My husband doesn’t want me to cull her, so she will stay until I convince him otherwise. I plan to hatch more chicks in the spring (hoping for a broody hen). So if more room is needed in the coop, then she may need to go. I’m just really missing her large beautiful blue eggs, and I wasn’t sure if there was some reason she wasn’t laying anymore. I’ve had chickens on and off my entire life and I’ve never had a hen that never laid any eggs for this amount of time. Felt like it was something I was doing!!