will a rooster cause a hen to lay?

[mfranti]

i heard this over the weekend as a possible explanation of why my hen stopped laying after we killed mr. woo.

any thoughts?

 

[fullhouse]

No, but change will have her stop for a bit.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Hens do not need roosters to lay eggs. But if they had been together for awhile she may be missing him and anything out of the place in her life might cause her to not lay for a few weeks.... my thoughts

 

[mfranti]

i know he used to ummm, mount her so i wondered if this caused her to make eggs sooner than she would have otherwise?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Nope.....

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Hens will lay whether or not they have been mating with a rooster. The only thing mating will change is the fact that the eggs are now fertilized.

Battery hens (the hens that lay the eggs for large chain supermarkets, etc.) never see a rooster in their lives.

Speaking of roosters, I'm sorry about your loss... I hope your hen will perk up soon!

 

[mfranti]

oh, and it's been a month since mr. woo died and i got the last egg.

now i'm at my wits end.

 

[keljonma]

If she is your only chicken, she may be lonely. Chickens are a social animal, that's why they flock together.

 

[mfranti]

oh no, she's got 4 other girls to keep her company

 

[Daycare Mom]

Give her a while to get used to the change, she will start laying again soon.