Chickens not laying for 4 months

[Lynn Borich]

Until last week all 6 of our chickens stopped laying eggs since early October. We did everything we knew to do. Our girls are half 4 years old and half 3 years old this coming Spring.
We know the older ones may slow down, but one of them is laying again. She is a New England Red. The other older girl is Bar Rock…not laying. Of the younger our two Buff Orpingtons are now laying. We know short days affects their laying and course they need a break to rest their bodies.
A couple months ago we began to add real seeds and whole grains to their layer feed. The added seeds are organic and contains millet, Sunflower seeds, safflower, red lentils, flax seed and others . We also increased greens for them which I sprout since the weather has kept them inside…they normally free range over our 2 acres.
Any comments are appreciated.

 

[nuthatched]

Our girls are half 4 years old and half 3 years old this coming Spring.

3.5 -4 is when 'henopause' hits, it's normal for them to slow down or stop around this age.
they likely molted in late autumn for the winter and went into their winter break, also normal.

we began to add real seeds and whole grains to their layer feed. The added seeds are organic and contains millet, Sunflower seeds, safflower, red lentils, flax seed and others .

Please switch your girls to an all flock mix or grower, since they aren't laying, they don't need the calcium that's in layer feed. (Assuming you feed layer)
Please don't add things to their food, it's not good for them.
it dilutes the nutrition and allows them to pick out the tasty seeds but not eat their real, nutritionally formulated food., Sunflower, safflower and and flax are full of FAT and should be fed in very minor doses, like a few pinches a week. Fat gathers around the internal organs like the heart and liver and causes them to fail.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Very normal. @nuthatched has given very good advice.

 

[Lynn Borich]

Very normal. @nuthatched has given very good advice.

Thank you so much. We will remove those seeds from their diet.

 

[K0k0shka]

The seeds and grains will do nothing for egg laying, they are filler calories and as already stated, not necessary if you use a complete, nutritionally balanced feed. They are only good as treats in limited amounts.

I, too, am a fan of the flock raiser / all flock type of feed that doesn't have added calcium. So they can self regulate with calcium on the side, based on their needs at the moment.

The chickens will take longer breaks and lay less frequently as they get older, that's normal.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you want eggs, you need to add chicks. Younger birds lay more.

 

[Lynn Borich]

Thank you to all. Now we are getting 1-2 eggs a day. More sunlight and exercise and we’ve removed high fat seeds an have added fresh sprouts an greens as treats.

 

[Bertie-Merle]

3.5 -4 is when 'henopause' hits, it's normal for them to slow down or stop around this age.
they likely molted in late autumn for the winter and went into their winter break, also normal.

Please switch your girls to an all flock mix or grower, since they aren't laying, they don't need the calcium that's in layer feed. (Assuming you feed layer)
Please don't add things to their food, it's not good for them.
it dilutes the nutrition and allows them to pick out the tasty seeds but not eat their real, nutritionally formulated food., Sunflower, safflower and and flax are full of FAT and should be fed in very minor doses, like a few pinches a week. Fat gathers around the internal organs like the heart and liver and causes them to fail.

Thank you for that information on the (sunflower) seeds ... and I've been adding some meal worms. I've definitely been over-feeding those from your post. I appreciate the knowledge share.

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you for that information on the (sunflower) seeds ... and I've been adding some meal worms. I've definitely been over-feeding those from your post. I appreciate the knowledge share.

Don't get me wrong, they're good treats but not everyday. Like cheesecake for me...:]