Possible 'henopause'?

I've even been farming mealworms for these gals. That's been going on for almost 2 years now. Our Jersey Giants are about the size of a turkey. I can't imagine 5 of those in the freezer. Geesh. We are not mentally able to harvest the hens. Just can't seem to do that to them. They will probably remain as house pets. Maybe I should put the plastic eggs back out there in their nesting boxes to get them to say "oh yah!!! We're supposed to be producing these!". lol!
 
I have to agree with Barbara. In peak season, I get a couple dozen eggs a day ... now I'm lucky to get 3 eggs a day. It's seasonal. It happens this way (for me) every year. I have a mixed flock of about 15 different breeds and ages from 6 months to 4 years old. They molt and slow waaaaaaaaay down (most stop completely) until the days start getting longer. I don't use any type of artificial lighting. They work hard most of the year and I feel that they deserve/need the break. Of course, that's just my opinion ...
 
That's a really great explanation. My sons think they're a potential for the stew pot but they're hilarious and a good group. I'm just going to let them be in high hopes they start laying again come Spring. Still, they'll die of old age here. I just can't eat a friend.
 
My three chickens, two Amerucanas and a Leghorn, don't lay during molt - the Amerucanas would lay two green eggs over three days, the Leghorn laid her jumbo white egg daily, but right now, the Amerucanas are molting and I get few green eggs now. They have stopped completely the last week or so and I don't expect to have them laying until they're feathered out again. The Leghorn, last year, didn't molt until it was freezing and we had snow. I worried so much about her, during her most naked days she'd act a bit uncoordinated and walk backwards. I was afraid something was wrong, but that stopped when her feathers came back in. Have no idea why that happened, but the addition of a heat lamp facing the outer coop door and radiating a bit of heat up into the nesting area, I do believe, helped her. For feed, I read about "Feather Fixer" pellets and got that for them during molt and continue to give it to them all year. It does say it helps with fortifying the shells. I do pulverize their own shells and often will scramble an egg and ad a handful of rolled oats and a scoop of shell - they love it. I also use the Rooster Booster for them, it's vitamins, and they eat it along with their pellets. I mix egg shell in with the rest of the feed so they're getting their calcium and vitamins along with their feed. They seem healthy and happy and as a two year chicken farmer, I think I must be doing something right.
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One of my girls is doing this too. I was blaming either our weird spring or henopause. She's a 2.5yo australorp x I think. She laid a soft shell Monday but nothing since. She's got oyster shell, plus calcium + vit d in the water. My other girl is laying every 2nd day on average
 

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