no eggs for 5months

[simonj1]

hi i have 4 chickens which have'nt laid eggs for about 4-5months. 1chicken wanted to be a mom 5months ago so i let her and gave her some fertilized eggs to sit on, she ended up with 1 chick which we still have and believe its a girl . 2 other chickens decided they would mother the chick as well so i had 3 moms 1 chick and 1 chicken who could'nt care less for the chick.

in the mean time whilst the chick was young the cold started to come and all the chickens seem to start to moult feathers everywhere lol. in the s**t tray in the there sleeping box was alot of small white bits which i believe is from the base of the feathers there pulling out.

now about 5months on winter is here in the uk and have'nt had an egg in about 3months from any of the chickens. the chickens don't seem to be loosing anymore feathers but theres still plenty of those white bits in the s**t tray. is there something wrong mites or something? i seen somewhere before chickens dont lay when there moulting?chickens dont lay in winter?chickens dont lay if they have young chicks? the chick now is at least 4months old maybe 5.

ill post a couple pics of the s**t tray and chickens if you want? any help would be fantastic, buying eggs for past 5months seems a bit crap when i've got 4 chickens in the garden eating like machines but give no eggs lol.

cheers si

 

[20736]

Are the hens completely locked up? When this happens to me, usually in the winter, I always find a clutch somewhere secret.

 

[simonj1]

no i dont believe there are any hiding spaces, there just not laying. but i will double check.

thanks for the reply

si

 

[Happy Chooks]

It's normal for hens to quit laying when they are molting. Your broody probably went from raising her baby to molting. Molting can take a lot out of a hen - even if they look feathered back in, they could still be growing feathers underneath. Then they have to get their body weight back up to be able to lay eggs again.

I just had a Easter egger start back up - it had been a few days short of 4 months from her last egg.

 

[Tarasa]

I'm having the same problem here. I have 2 Americanas that stopped about the same time while the 3 buffs continued to lay. After 4 months one of the 2 has started to lay but only 3 to 4 a week. I think they molted do to the amout of feathers in the coop I cleaned up but they didn't go bare like one of my poor buffs is. I had to bring her inside, she hads no feathers on her back and it's been in the 40s here. Anyway, I have one Americania who has not laid in almost 6 months and one who has restarted after 4 1/2 moths but very spotty. They are shy of 2 years old and I'm wondering what's going on.

 

[Tarasa]

Also wondering about the white flakes and I have those in the coop too.

 

[my sunwolf]

Happy Chooks is right, it's just the molt. They can actually take up to 6 months to finish a molt, if they're really slow about it. If all yours decided to molt at the same time, that just means a longer wait for eggs, probably not until the spring equinox at this point. But look on the bright side, by then your pullet will be laying. Sounds like the white bits are feathers and skin, they do tend to flake skin and feather bits during the molt, I wouldn't be worried. To check for lice, check the skin around the vent area and above the tail. To check for mites, check the roosts, coop floor, and the vent area at night.

Eh, and please don't show us the poop tray, thanks.

 

[my sunwolf]

I'm having the same problem here. I have 2 Americanas that stopped about the same time while the 3 buffs continued to lay. After 4 months one of the 2 has started to lay but only 3 to 4 a week. I think they molted do to the amout of feathers in the coop I cleaned up but they didn't go bare like one of my poor buffs is. I had to bring her inside, she hads no feathers on her back and it's been in the 40s here. Anyway, I have one Americania who has not laid in almost 6 months and one who has restarted after 4 1/2 moths but very spotty. They are shy of 2 years old and I'm wondering what's going on.

P.s. 40˚F is fine for a naked chicken, it's the freezing and below temps you have to worry about.

 

[simonj1]

so its just the matter of waiting then. any foods or anything i can do to speed the process up? maybe put a light in there coop/ dummy eggs in the nesting box?

 

[Happy Chooks]

so its just the matter of waiting then. any foods or anything i can do to speed the process up? maybe put a light in there coop/ dummy eggs in the nesting box?

Yes, you can give high protein treats to help her through the molt - mealworms, meat scraps, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, tuna, etc.