Chickens NOT Laying at all

[bleu chick]

My flock is 2 years old and within the last two weeks the hens have all but stopped laying eggs.

I am in Houston, TX and the lows are 70's and highs are low 90's with 60-70% humidity. SO yes its disgustingly hot already.

I am getting 2 eggs a day from 11 hens!!!!

They were wormed earlier this spring and they dont show any health issues. They are not off on their feed and nothing has changed in their environment.

I know they slow down egg production in the heat but this is ridiculous.

Is there anything I can do to ramp up egg production?

I sell all my eggs to ONE person and I am worried he might find another supplier since the girls arent producing.

ANY suggustions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TexasLea]

I am up in Arlington, Texas but it sounds like our weather is pretty much the same right now. I don't know that I have the best answer for you, but I can offer a couple of ideas as to what may help.

Are they by chance molting? I know mine seem to take a cue from each other and if one started to molt, they all did and nobody laid and egg until they were good and ready.

Also, are you doing anything to make them more comfortable in the heat? I use a combination of things like fans, ice in their waterers, frozen bottles of water not only placed around the run, but also in the nestboxes so they are not so miserably hot when trying to lay. I also increase the cold treats like watermelon and frozen veggies and make sure they have plenty of shade.

Another idea is to offer up a place for them to lay that is out of the coop and in a cooler area with better air flow. I have one hen who sometimes drops an egg right in front of the fan.

I hope someone else chimes in with some other ideas to help.

 

[cmfarm]

Did ya'll get any rain in that big storm not long ago? We had a lot of high winds and our coop calapsed (has a pvc pipe frame and some of the pipe broke). Maybe the storm spooked them (although I am not sure if it was even in your area or not).

 

[TexasLea]

We just got alot of rain here in Arlington, but over in Dallas they had some pretty bad hail that did quite a bit of damage.

I bet it is a very good possibility that the coop collapsing has put them off. That had to be stressful for them! I hope they pick back up soon for you.

 

[bleu chick]

My coop didnt collapse...that was someone else commenting on their situation.

In response to others....

They free range and have lots of places to escape the heat. Their favorite is under a building with a large shade tree over it. The building is on blocks and they have their dust bath holes under there.

They have afan on all day in their coup with their nest boxes. Its pretty airy and open. Its a fixed structure so I cant make any adjustments ot it.

They get watermelon rind twice weekely. And their water bowls are all kept out of the sun.

No one is molting either.

 

[dainerra]

I assume you've checked under the shed? make sure that there aren't any covered up by the dust also.

But, more than likely it is the heat. We have very similar weather here in AR and once it gets really hot I don't expect to get many eggs.

 

[TexasLea]

My coop didnt collapse...that was someone else commenting on their situation.

I'm sorry I see that! Apparently I shouldn't answer posts on less than one cup of coffee.

 

[Blesser]

It is probably the heat, don't force them to lay as it is good for the hen to take a break and laying in the heat might be too stressful on your hens. Without breaks every now and then they could develop internal problems such as internal laying, eyp, etc. Once the weather starts to cool down slightly they should start to lay again. Tell your customer the hens are taking a break for a little while.

 

[bleu chick]

Unfortunately the heat doesnt lay up around here until the beginging of October. Its just going to get hotter and hotter. These 90 degree temps are nothing. That was my concern. I have never had them slow down so early into the summer (and its technically not summer yet)

Last summer we have 30+ days of over 100 degree heat and there was a SEVERE drought. We are currently falling back into a drought so fingers crossed for rain.

One other thing I tried...because I thought they were laying elsewhere. I kept them in the chicken run for several days which would force them to lay in the nest boxes. But no change. They only have a quarter acre to roam on normally. I did the whole egg hunting thing initially thinking someone found a better place to lay eggs.

And I notice who is laying eggs everyday (for the most part) and its not the same two chickens laying the eggs. Its like they are taking turns. You lay one today...I will lay one tomorrow!

Well I guess I will just chalk this up to the heat and stop worrying about them.

 

[ozark_chickies]

I agree, it is probably the heat. We have been getting pretty high temps here in Arkansas, and some of my hens have went on strike too. Another way I help keep my birds cool is to spray the dust bathing area down with water every few days.I spray enough water to get the ground nice and damp, but not enough to be muddy. The girls like to stand in the puddles, and some even play in the water as I spray.