Young silkie hen not laying

Mittmom

Chirping
Oct 19, 2021
22
57
64
Hi all,
I have a one year old silkie hen. She started laying on time, 3-4 small eggs per week. Several months ago she laid a fart egg, but still laid normal eggs. Then a few months ago she began to lay normal eggs alternating with fart eggs before stopping altogether. My other 4 hens (non-silkie) have slowed down on laying and are molting. We found one fart egg recently in the place she lays but nothing else for months. I've noticed she will sit on her nest for a few hours but nothing to show for it. Just wondering if this is normal or indicates a problem? Or maybe it's just normal for her? This is our first flock. We have been feeding them a chick starter and oyster shells which I saw recommended somewhere on this forum as being better than layer feed. They free range a bit daily and get some scraps too. Any insight will be appreciated!
 
What month and year did she hatch? Where are you located (state or latitude)?
Nothing is abnormal with chickens until a true problem is indicated. Especially silkies not known for productivity.
The starter feed is higher in protein and with your birds not laying consistently, replacing layer feed is a good idea.
 
I'm in Northern California. The silkie hatched in August of 2021. So, feeding high protien feed could have a negative effect on laying?
[oh, and great quote!]
 
No, feeding low protein has a negative effect on ovulation and hence, production.
I'm sorry my explanation was confusing.
Oatmeal isn't high in the essential amino acids that omnivores need and vegetables knock it down significantly more.
 
Oh I see now. Replacing layer feed with starter is a good idea. Hmm, well, maybe the egg issues with the silkie is just "her."
 
That could be true. If one wants a fair number of eggs, Silkies aren't the best choice. They are not extremely productive nor consistent in that endeavor.
They are cute but also predator vulnerable. A silkie breeder I know calls them 'hawk bites'.
You could peruse the following breed selection charts for egg production and less needy chicken breeds.
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
The more, self-sufficient the breeds you choose, they may not be as cute and huggly, your life will be significantly better.
In answer to the first point, Any hen needs a specific level of crude protein, or more importantly, the right mix of amino acids to have a level of ovulation that signifies nutritional sufficiency. The amino acids omnivores need don't come from vegetative sources.
 
Thanks for that thorough response. We do have 4 other hens that are better layers (Orpington, barred rock, Wyandotte) and knew going in she would be more of a pet. I was just concerned something might be wrong with her. As an interesting side note a neighbor has a silkie that is full size, definitely not a bantam… or a hawk bite! He found her on the side of the road. The hawk bite thing is scary though, especially when we let her free range. The only hawk like birds I’ve seen in our area are white kites, but I do wonder if they would attempt to grab a silkie.
How do you personally provide your hens the amino acids omnivores need that are not found in plants? Thanks for taking the time to answer!
 
How do you personally provide your hens the amino acids omnivores need that are not found in plants? Thanks for taking the time to answer!
Most good commercial chicken feeds should supply the necessary amino acids, but will usually be in higher quantities in higher protein feeds like grower or all flock.

I’m not sure what treats you feed and in what quantity, but those also could be diluting the total protein and amino acids she is getting, which it seems she is more sensitive to. Treats should be no more than 10% of their total volume, so that would usually be no more than a tablespoon or two per day of treats
 

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