herecomethegirls Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 We have three hens, who have all been laying one a day till March when one of them stopped and since then, only lays occasionally. She doesn’t have an egg stuck and she seems very happy otherwise, just not laying regularly. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Without knowing what breeds they are and how old I can only guess that she has run out of eggs to lay? A very old study I came across mentioned in a book called 'Poultry for the Many', published 1918, said that chickens only have 600 eggs to lay. In my experience, sometimes it can be as low as 200 and in one case we had a very pretty Wyandotte who lived to over 10 years without ever laying an egg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herecomethegirls Posted May 17, 2022 Author Share Posted May 17, 2022 (edited) They’re a hybrid and are 1 year old, next month. Do they just have periods where the don’t lay? Edited May 17, 2022 by herecomethegirls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Yes they do have periods when they don't lay, so when it's too hot, too cold, after a disturbance by a predator, or when they are moulting. Perhaps none of these apply? Basically they will only lay in an environment suitable for hatching, even if they don't (hopefully). Otherwise they will stop when they have no more to lay. 12 months old is very early for a hybrid; I'd expect 18 months, but perhaps you are unlucky? They do all look in perfect health and very happy, so no welfare issues there. Can't add any more I'm afraid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 On 5/17/2022 at 2:06 PM, Beantree said: Without knowing what breeds they are and how old I can only guess that she has run out of eggs to lay? A very old study I came across mentioned in a book called 'Poultry for the Many', published 1918, said that chickens only have 600 eggs to lay. In my experience, sometimes it can be as low as 200 and in one case we had a very pretty Wyandotte who lived to over 10 years without ever laying an egg. Us female humans don’t have unlimited eggs either. 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herecomethegirls Posted May 21, 2022 Author Share Posted May 21, 2022 I just expected them to lay for more than 6 months. Maybe she’s just having a break. 🤷🏻♀️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
