No Eggs Since September

[MaryCamp]

Hi,
I have eleven hens all under 2 years old who haven’t laid more than one egg a day (all together) since September, but they slowed even before that. None of them are production hens so I’ve never expected more than fourish eggs a day.

They have a 100 square foot coop for nights, and as much space outside as they want during the day. They eat Nature’s Best Layer Crumbles, have fresh water, and are (fairly) protected from predators.

I’m not really sure what to do but I’m on the verge of eating them and starting over. My dark Cornish meat hens are currently doing better in the egg department than my egg laying hens.

Any help would be appreciated!

Best,
Mary

 

[BobStuart]

Are you in winter right now? They wont lay in winter much.

 

[NatJ]

Hi,
I have eleven hens all under 2 years old who haven’t laid more than one egg a day (all together) since September, but they slowed even before that. None of them are production hens so I’ve never expected more than fourish eggs a day.

They have a 100 square foot coop for nights, and as much space outside as they want during the day. They eat Nature’s Best Layer Crumbles, have fresh water, and are (fairly) protected from predators.

I’m not really sure what to do but I’m on the verge of eating them and starting over. My dark Cornish meat hens are currently doing better in the egg department than my egg laying hens.

Any help would be appreciated!

Best,
Mary

Seasonal things, if you live in the northern hemisphere (currently having winter):

Have they been molting? Most hens do that sometime in the fall or winter, and they quit laying eggs while they molt.

Hens often lay poorly (or not at all) during the short days of winter. Now that we are past the winter solstice, the days are getting longer, so they are likely to start laying again in the next few weeks or months.


Any time of year:

Have you checked for hidden nests? Hens will sometimes hide their eggs somewhere outside, instead of laying in the nestboxes of their coop. You could check this by locking them in the coop for a few days, so they cannot hide eggs outside.

Could anyone or any thing be eating/taking the eggs? Chickens can eat eggs, so can snakes and rats and many larger animals, and of course people can too.


Also, there might be more than one cause, maybe hidden nests or egg eating in September, followed later in the fall by molting, followed by not laying because the days are short. If that is the case, they might start laying again as the days get longer, but they might hide eggs or the eggs might get eaten, so you would not actually find any eggs until you figured out what else was happening.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/
This article may help figure out if they are actually laying or not. Short version: a laying hen has a larger vent, and you can feel the tips of the pubic bones are further apart and further from the vent, as compared with a hen that is not laying.

I have found that comparing chickens is a good way to learn. Compare birds you know are laying (maybe your Dark Cornish) and some birds you know are not laying (roosters are a great choice if you have any, because a rooster is never laying.) Once you become confident about recognizing the differences, check the chickens you are not sure about.

 

[MaryCamp]

Are you in winter right now? They wont lay in winter much.

Yes, but it started in September and I’m getting one or no eggs a day. I’m in Alabama so winter here didn’t really start until end of November. Last winter, I was getting two or three eggs everyday, and in spring I started getting 5-6 eggs a day. I’m just not sure why it’s so dramatically off. I’m also sure, because I have a lot of different breeds that it’s only one hen laying.

 

[NatJ]

Yes, but it started in September and I’m getting one or no eggs a day. I’m in Alabama so winter here didn’t really start until end of November. Last winter, I was getting two or three eggs everyday, and in spring I started getting 5-6 eggs a day. I’m just not sure why it’s so dramatically off. I’m also sure, because I have a lot of different breeds that it’s only one hen laying.

You say winter didn't really start until the end of November, but the hens are affected more by days getting shorter than by cold. So the shorter days may have caused them to stop laying (to molt or just to take time off), even if it was not cold. Providing a light, so the days seem longer to the hens, can make a difference in how many eggs you get during the winter.

Older hens do tend to lay fewer eggs than younger hens. So it is not surprising that you are getting less eggs this winter than last winter.

If there is just one hen laying, then she is definitely a keeper right now! For the others, it might be worth keeping them through the next spring & summer (because they will probably lay again as the days get longer), but you probably should replace them before next winter if you want eggs then.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Expanding just a bit on what NatJ posted, if you get chicks early spring Feb/Mar/April they should be laying a good amount of eggs by next winter.
Your hens you have now should be in full production all summer giving you eggs and then you can decide if you want to cull them when their egg production drops off making room for the new layers.
Doing this every other year should keep you in eggs all year long if that's your goal.