How to get chicken to start laying again

[saintmerryweather]

Our hen (sadly a singleton for now we are trying to get her a buddy asap since our last hen died a couple of weeks ago)hasn't laid an egg for a long time now. We got her as POL pullet in about April last year and at the end of April we picked up our new puppy. They were laying just fine when he first came but then he decided it would be fun to charge at their pen and scare the bejeezus out of them, so they stopped laying (due to the trauma?) The puppy is now a strapping 18 month old and no longer does it (he only did it for about a month, he;s a very wilful dog) but the chicky still isn't laying. She has a walk in enclosure, secure nesting site and the dog is kept away from her now. She is fed on layers pellets and leftover veg / slugs and mealworms occasionally. she seems to be in very good health, very alert in herself. The hen that we lost hadn't laid an egg in about the same amount of time. If we're keeping the dog away from her surely she should have started laying again by now? These were our first chickens so we're a bit novicey :

Unfortunately sometimes they do just stop laying, as annoying as it is, although I have to admit that I've never come across a case where a shock appears to have had such a long-lasting effect. This is peak production time (coming up to the summer solstice), and so if she was going to start laying again (am I right in thinking that she hasn't laid for over a year?) then she's unlikely to start again miraculously.

Probably your best bet is to chalk it up to experience, keep her as a pampered pet (unless you fancy chicken soup) and buy a couple of hybrids to keep her company and take up the slack where egg-laying is concerned.