3 year old hen stopped laying suddenly

[MeatyCluckers]

I posted about a month or so ago about my Wyandotte hen who had a bit of a sneeze and had been bullied and separated while she recovered. Until that incident, she had been a fairly consistent layer other than winter/molts. It's been over a month now, and she's healed and back with the flock, but she still has not returned to laying. The hen who had bullied her has not resumed bullying her (although the affected hen does definitely run away every time she comes near). The hen is eating and drinking and generally behaving normally other than not laying - she does seem a little slower (which was the case right before she'd been bullied), but no obvious other signs of issues (no prolapse or diarrhea, etc.). Her comb is red. All other hens are laying very productively. I cleaned the coop shortly after she was taken into isolation, and noticed that in the spot where she typically roosts there was some blood splatter against the walls underneath the roost - but no physical sign that I can see that would have caused that, and none since.

I am sure the bullying incident was traumatic for her, and I know that trauma can cause them to stop laying eggs for awhile, but this does seem like a longer window of time than I'd expect. Any ideas or things I should check that I may not have thought, or is this normal? My only other injured chicken in the past like that hadn't come into lay yet so I don't have any context for timeline. We don't need eggs from her, I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking a health concern that requires intervention.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

@Wyorp Rock

 

[JLS84780]

I'm sorry to hear this. The two experiences I have like this was an older hen that died a month or so later with water belly. The current hen who had stopped laying i'm pretty sure was laying internally for a couple of weeks and now is not going to the lay box at all and is slowing down, and not eating and drinking normally. I'm sad to see these girls go after only a year with me. This is a new state for me and I'm wondering what's different here. Perhaps the children, atvs and pets that use a trail behind the back wall of our home make more noise than they'd like. I'm losing plants in the high desert too, so it's all an experiment and I just got three more little hens. Hope they survive the summer heat. They get organic crumbles, have a huge run, secure coop, afternoon treats, even some toys to prevent boredom. I'm learning sometimes it doesn't matter what we do, we lose them too soon. We have no avian very nearby either. Oh well. Hope yours surprises you with better news!

 

[MeatyCluckers]

I'm sorry to hear this. The two experiences I have like this was an older hen that died a month or so later with water belly. The current hen who had stopped laying i'm pretty sure was laying internally for a couple of weeks and now is not going to the lay box at all and is slowing down, and not eating and drinking normally. I'm sad to see these girls go after only a year with me. This is a new state for me and I'm wondering what's different here. Perhaps the children, atvs and pets that use a trail behind the back wall of our home make more noise than they'd like. I'm losing plants in the high desert too, so it's all an experiment and I just got three more little hens. Hope they survive the summer heat. They get organic crumbles, have a huge run, secure coop, afternoon treats, even some toys to prevent boredom. I'm learning sometimes it doesn't matter what we do, we lose them too soon. We have no avian very nearby either. Oh well. Hope yours surprises you with better news!

I hope your luck turns around soon! They definitely keep us on our toes.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The hen is eating and drinking and generally behaving normally other than not laying - she does seem a little slower (which was the case right before she'd been bullied), but no obvious other signs of issues

Some hens go out of lay during times of illness or stress. Depending on what was causing her symptoms a while back, she still may be recovering or she may have some reproductive issues like Cancer, EYP, Salpingitis, etc.

There's nothing you can do to make her lay eggs. Monitor her, see that her crop is emptying, keep parasites at bay and enjoy her if she's not for production.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-with-a-sneeze.1657109/page-2

 

[MeatyCluckers]

Some hens go out of lay during times of illness or stress. Depending on what was causing her symptoms a while back, she still may be recovering or she may have some reproductive issues like Cancer, EYP, Salpingitis, etc.

There's nothing you can do to make her lay eggs. Monitor her, see that her crop is emptying, keep parasites at bay and enjoy her if she's not for production.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-with-a-sneeze.1657109/page-2

Thank you - I don't care if she lays eggs or not, I was more concerned with underlying conditions and potentially missing an opportunity to help. I appreciate it.

 

[JLS84780]

Some hens go out of lay during times of illness or stress. Depending on what was causing her symptoms a while back, she still may be recovering or she may have some reproductive issues like Cancer, EYP, Salpingitis, etc.

There's nothing you can do to make her lay eggs. Monitor her, see that her crop is emptying, keep parasites at bay and enjoy her if she's not for production.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-with-a-sneeze.1657109/page-2

Thank you. That is the current plan. One minute we think her end is near, and the next minute she's alert and sparkly. She didn't bother to roost last night, but surprised me "not dead" this morning. On to another day. so sad for such a young bird. I'm realizing they are a lot more sensitive to any stressors than I thought.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you - I don't care if she lays eggs or not, I was more concerned with underlying conditions and potentially missing an opportunity to help. I appreciate it.

If it's something reproductive going on, I have not found anything that will help a lot.
Fresh food, fresh water, oyster and grit (crushed granite) free choice. Check periodically for external parasites. If possible, get a fecal float to see if deworming is needed. Sometimes vet care it's possible, so deworming a couple of times a year may be needed depending on where you live.

Enjoy them, let them enjoy chickening.