my hen pretends to lay eggs

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my hen pretends to lay eggs

by Marta

my Rhode island red

About a month ago,my Rhode island red,who layed an egg a day,stoped producing eggs. Every day,she goes through the motions of crowing before the act,siting in her usual nest for a long time,and then,when she is supposedly done,crowing loudly, to let us know she is done laying. But no eggs are layed!

She does this every single day,but nothing comes out. I must mention that she is about 2 years old and has gone through avian pox before this behavior started.

Please help me figure out what is wrong with her?

Marta

Comments for
my hen pretends to lay eggs

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May 15, 2011

white chook wont lay
by: ken

Marta we have a chook that does the same thing.

every day at the same time she sits and cackles,
then very proud of her work, she lets the world know. but alas no egg.

she is very good at turning over the garden and eating bugs etc as well as tip pruning all the plants.

regards

ken

Sep 02, 2010

Hen stopped laying eggs
by: The Avian Vet

This could be egg binding, or it may be normal behavior. Some hens will stop laying for a month or two, then start again. Have her seen by an avian veterinarian soon.

Dr B

Aug 22, 2010

my hen pretends to lay eggs
by: Marta

I am feeding my hens layers food and add to their diet veg. and fruits a couple times a week.
I also add vitamins to their water and ground egg shells and oyster shells as a calcium booster.

I would not be concerned if my RIR just stoped laying eggs,but she goes about it every day, as if she does lay an egg .Otherwise,she is feeling well,running around and eating well.

I have no avian vet any where near me and a regular vet knows nothing about chickens.

Has anyone heard of such behavior before?

Marta

Aug 21, 2010

Take hen to avian vet
by: The Avian Vet

It is not uncommon for a hen to stop laying for a couple of weeks, maybe even a month; The average hen will lay 300-325 eggs in a year. The pox possibly has contributed to this stint with no eggs, but it could also be normal. It may also be diet. What are you feeding her? She could be molting, too. In my opinion you need to have her examined by an avian veterinarian to be sure there are no health problems.

Dr B

Aug 20, 2010

my hen pretends to lay eggs
by: Linda

Marta, you need to take your hen to an Avian Vet in your driving area. Do not take her to a regular dog and cat vet as they are not licensed or trained in the care of any kind of birds, so take her ONLY to an Avian Vet.

She could be eggbound or sick in some other way, and you won't know until she is seen by an Avian Vet who will test her for a return of the Pox and other bacterial or viral type infections. If she is a possible carrier of the Pox, then she does not need to lay any eggs or raise any babies as they may also be carriers or die from the Pox.

So, take your bird to Avian Vet before she sickens and dies because of lack of medical attention.

By the way, she is very, very beautiful, and you must be very proud of her! Thanks for writing,
Linda

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