Cream-crested legbar doesn't lay?

[james505]

At the end of May 2021 we hatched 4 cream-crested legbars; sadly, 3 of them were male so were despatched.
The hen is lovely and, as expected, started providing us with a blue egg on a daily basis. All was fine for a few months and then all of a sudden in Spring last year, she either stopped laying blue eggs, or stopped laying eggs altogether?
She gets on with all other members of the flock and we've never seen any evidence of bullying or stress. She is very healthy and eats/drinks/socialises normally.
Any clues as to why she would stop laying blue eggs? She can't be egg-bound as she'd be dead by now.
Thanks in advance.
Gary

ps: Due to avian flu here in the UK we have not been allowed to free-range our girls for several months so there is no chance she has a secret stash hidden away somewhere.

 

[nuthatched]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309
What is your birds' diet?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

She hasn't laid eggs since last Spring?
That is odd.
Have you had a talk with her? Told her if she doesn't start laying then she'll be eaten? That usually works.
Honestly, I hope you get some real answers.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Sometimes that's the way it goes. We have a Legbar who started laying at 7 months and stopped at 8 months. She's almost 2 now. We have a Marans who's the same way.

Both came from the same breeder, who admitted she had trouble keeping heat consistent during their incubation due to storms with power outages. I'm thinking their reproductive systems may have been stunted because of that.

We aren't pressed for space, and nobody has to "pay rent" here, so they just do their thing as part of the social order of the flock. The main difference seems to be that the roosters bug them less than the layers.

Lastly, you mentioned that maybe she stopped laying blue eggs. I don't think that's possible with the blue-shell gene they have, since the egg is blue all the way through. You might see a dark layer like a Marans lay an occasional light brown egg due to bloom differences, and sometimes Legbars and EEs lay a more concentrated blue/green color, but it'd always be some shade of blue (not white or brown).

 

[james505]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309
What is your birds' diet?

Their mainstay is a good quality layer's pellets every morning and then some mixed corn in the afternoon. they also get various leafy greens [cabbage, cauli, kale etc.,] and on occasion some mealworms. normally they would have access to grass but that's not possible at the moment. I can't stress enough how happy and healthy she is!

 

[james505]

She hasn't laid eggs since last Spring?
That is odd.
Have you had a talk with her? Told her if she doesn't start laying then she'll be eaten? That usually works.
Honestly, I hope you get some real answers.

Oh trust me, we've had "the talk" on several occasions

 

[james505]

Sometimes that's the way it goes. We have a Legbar who started laying at 7 months and stopped at 8 months. She's almost 2 now. We have a Marans who's the same way.

Both came from the same breeder, who admitted she had trouble keeping heat consistent during their incubation due to storms with power outages. I'm thinking their reproductive systems may have been stunted because of that.

We aren't pressed for space, and nobody has to "pay rent" here, so they just do their thing as part of the social order of the flock. The main difference seems to be that the roosters bug them less than the layers.

Lastly, you mentioned that maybe she stopped laying blue eggs. I don't think that's possible with the blue-shell gene they have, since the egg is blue all the way through. You might see a dark layer like a Marans lay an occasional light brown egg due to bloom differences, and sometimes Legbars and EEs lay a more concentrated blue/green color, but it'd always be some shade of blue (not white or brown).

That's really interesting. We bought the fertilised eggs from a local reputable breeder, along with another breed, and incubated them here at home. We had no power outages during that time and the other hens from the same time have been fine.

Maybe she's just a lemon

I didn't think it likely she could change the colour of her eggs but nowt so queer as nature! Anyway, she's with us for the long haul!