No Eggs

[Chuck70]

I have 5 hens,2 two year old and 3 one year olds. Up until about 3 weeks ago I was doing really well getting on average 3 eggs a day sometimes 5 a day. I had 3 dozen eggs in the fridge. Well I'm sure you heard down here in South Carolina we got some biblical rain and science the rain my 2 year olds have started molting so not really sure what's going on but I'm getting like 1 every 2 days now. Anything ? I can use some advice right about not.

 

[cluckcluckgirl]

The molt will stop their laying for a while. The horrible weather may either put a stress on the others or reduce the amount of sunlight, both of which will impact laying. Molting usually lasts about a month to a month and a half, so the best thing to do for that is ride it out and give them some high-protein snacks.

 

[song of joy]

It's not unusual for 2 year old hens to take anywhere from 2 to 4 months off for the fall molt. Older hens may stop laying for an even longer period of time.

However, if you have them on layer feed, it may be very helpful to switch them to a higher-protein feed. I've noticed that about half of my hens are continuing to lay eggs while molting. I attribute this to having them on an all-flock feed (20% protein), as this never happened when I had them on layer feed during the molt. They're also growing their feathers in faster.

 

[Wyandottes7]

While they're molting, they most likely will not lay eggs. My chickens usually molt for at least three months. During that time, I don't get any eggs.

 

[Toddrick]

I think a couple of mine have begun to molt. I've been noticing a lot of feathers laying around. One has feather loss on the front of her neck, which I think is a sign of the initial stages of molt.

 

[reggies mom]

First year with chickens and I have 5 hens and 1 guinea. Only one chicken started laying in September and then abruptly stopped about a week ago. The other 4 have still not laid. What am I doing wrong?