Young Silkie hen stopped laying

[MysticHedgeMama]

I have an 8 month old silkie hen that laid us about 5 eggs and then completely stopped. She hasn’t laid an egg in nearly two weeks now. I will find her in the coop pecking around and even sometimes she makes her little “cluck call” but still nothing. She eats and drinks and forages with the rest of the flock just fine. Is this normal of the silkie breed or should I be doing something different?

 

[rosemarythyme]

New layers are often sporadic, and in general Silkies aren't the best layers on top of that.

 

[Lizzy733]

New layers can be sporadic, but my Silkie is on a pretty predictable schedule. She lays a 'clutch', typically around 12 eggs, one a day, then goes broody. She broods very hard (typically 4-5 weeks) where she tries to sit her eggs. When done, she may molt and take another month or so recovering from the brood, then she goes back to laying.

If you think your pullet is trying to sit a nest, make sure she is getting up to eat and exercise at least twice a day (kick her off the nest). Hormones run high and silkies have a strong desire to sit and will not take care of themselves and this can affect their health.

They do get better about this as they get older if you aren't breaking them, but always keep an eye on them to make sure they are remembering to get up, dust bathe and exercise.