Hi All,
I have not posted in a long time as my questions have all been answered with a search, however I can find very little information about this.
My current flock is my first laying flock, They range in age from 8-10 months old (roughly) they are also a mix of different breeds. Recently they have hardly been laying at all, I have 8 pullets and was getting an average of 5-6 eggs a day, and am now lucky to get 5 in a week. I was putting this down to the reduced daylight hours (I live in London England, we are currently at just over 10 hour days and reducing), but I have been surprised at quite how dramatic the drop off was, especially as I do not have a single breed flock. This morning, I noticed that there where allot of feathers on the coop floor and that some of the pullets where looking a bit bedraggled, therefore I think they are moulting. I know that this is the time of year fro a moult but I was expecting them to not moult in the first year, I know it is a possibility to have an annual moult in the first year but I thought it was rare and it seems like most, if not all of my pullets are going into moult.
Perhaps something else is going on, I will check for parasites in the morning but I do not think it is parasites as I have checked them quite recently.
I have been wondering what would cause my mixed flock to all go into an early moult and it occurred to me that I did hatch them at a slightly odd time, a chick that was hatched in the middle of spring would be younger at this time of year, so perhaps that is what the problem is. I also have two cockerels that I do not think are moulting, but they are also my two youngest birds, proabbly 7 months old. I have been wondering why people tend to hatch chicks in spring (apart from the glut of eggs). If I am correct, it's a bit of a shame, because I have some eggs in the incubator now and I expect they would also moult next autumn, oh well!
If anyone can shed some light on this for me, please do, if you disagree, have another explanation or any other reasons not or (or to) hatch chicks outside of spring, please let me know.
Thanks!
I have not posted in a long time as my questions have all been answered with a search, however I can find very little information about this.
My current flock is my first laying flock, They range in age from 8-10 months old (roughly) they are also a mix of different breeds. Recently they have hardly been laying at all, I have 8 pullets and was getting an average of 5-6 eggs a day, and am now lucky to get 5 in a week. I was putting this down to the reduced daylight hours (I live in London England, we are currently at just over 10 hour days and reducing), but I have been surprised at quite how dramatic the drop off was, especially as I do not have a single breed flock. This morning, I noticed that there where allot of feathers on the coop floor and that some of the pullets where looking a bit bedraggled, therefore I think they are moulting. I know that this is the time of year fro a moult but I was expecting them to not moult in the first year, I know it is a possibility to have an annual moult in the first year but I thought it was rare and it seems like most, if not all of my pullets are going into moult.
Perhaps something else is going on, I will check for parasites in the morning but I do not think it is parasites as I have checked them quite recently.
I have been wondering what would cause my mixed flock to all go into an early moult and it occurred to me that I did hatch them at a slightly odd time, a chick that was hatched in the middle of spring would be younger at this time of year, so perhaps that is what the problem is. I also have two cockerels that I do not think are moulting, but they are also my two youngest birds, proabbly 7 months old. I have been wondering why people tend to hatch chicks in spring (apart from the glut of eggs). If I am correct, it's a bit of a shame, because I have some eggs in the incubator now and I expect they would also moult next autumn, oh well!
If anyone can shed some light on this for me, please do, if you disagree, have another explanation or any other reasons not or (or to) hatch chicks outside of spring, please let me know.
Thanks!