Royal Palm stopped laying

[rhondita55]

She laid eggs almost daily for about 9 months, then she stopped. I thought it was because it was winter. I'm in the AZ desert, so it doesn't get cold and my hens produce more in winter than in summer when it's so hot I have to turn on the water misters for them.
Come spring, she laid daily for 6 days then stopped. She then went broody for a couple of months, then molted. It's now been over 7 months without another egg. Well over a year since she produced good. She's healthy and loves showing off when someone new goes in the yard.
Any suggestions? She's not even 3 yet. Only laid eggs for 1 yr.

 

[R2elk]

She laid eggs almost daily for about 9 months, then she stopped. I thought it was because it was winter. I'm in the AZ desert, so it doesn't get cold and my hens produce more in winter than in summer when it's so hot I have to turn on the water misters for them.
Come spring, she laid daily for 6 days then stopped. She then went broody for a couple of months, then molted. It's now been over 7 months without another egg. Well over a year since she produced good. She's healthy and loves showing off when someone new goes in the yard.
Any suggestions? She's not even 3 yet. Only laid eggs for 1 yr.

She is a turkey. Do not expect her to lay eggs like a chicken does. Their laying season is normally determined by the amount of daylight hours. Your nine months of laying last year is about right since you have longer daylight hours.

Her laying habits this year are probably normal for her. Each hen reacts different as to whether or not they begin laying again after being broody. I have had hens begin to lay again one week after hatching their clutch and I have had hens that were done laying for the year after going broody. The hens that were allowed to hatch their clutch and raise their poults were almost always done laying for the year.

At this late date, you should not expect your hen to start laying again until next spring. How long she will lay eggs next year will depend on whether or not you let her keep her eggs and allow her to go broody. Turkey hens tend to lay longer during the season if they are not allowed to keep their eggs and go broody.

 

[rhondita55]

Thank you so much for your info. My hens lay more in the mild winters here. We have on average 2 freeze warnings a year. But the summers, well, when it gets to 105, I turn the misters on in the coup. I'm in the city where we can't have toms or roo's. So I collect every day. It isn't always fun to a turkey off the nest even when she's small. My birds are pets, some say if they don't lay, to eat them. I think I would choke. I've raised for food. But these are my special girls. It's cooling off, we stay below 100 now. So maybe she'll start laying again. Turkey eggs taste so much better than chicken eggs. Not so good for mixing, the yolk is so thick. But excellent on the breakfast table.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you so much for your info. My hens lay more in the mild winters here. We have on average 2 freeze warnings a year. But the summers, well, when it gets to 105, I turn the misters on in the coup. I'm in the city where we can't have toms or roo's. So I collect every day.

That is the one thing that turkeys and chickens have in common is they both tend to reduce their egg laying when it gets too hot. Turkey hens without supplemental light do not lay eggs during the winter.

 

[rhondita55]

That is the one thing that turkeys and chickens have in common is they both tend to reduce their egg laying when it gets too hot. Turkey hens without supplemental light do not lay eggs during the winter.

We probably get more winter light than you do. I put a solar light up last year, but the battery in those little things just don't last. This year I'm stringing up the big bulb Christmas lights in clear. Will be cute in the yard and maybe wake the egg laying up.

 

[R2elk]

We probably get more winter light than you do. I put a solar light up last year, but the battery in those little things just don't last. This year I'm stringing up the big bulb Christmas lights in clear. Will be cute in the yard and maybe wake the egg laying up.

Some people add supplemental lighting to get their turkey hens laying in January. Getting them started early only results in them stopping earlier in the fall. They are seasonal layers and are not meant to lay eggs all year long even with supplemental lighting.

 

[rhondita55]

Hmm, that may be the problem. I didn't add lighting. So she didn't start till Spring and then stopped for broody, then stopped because it was extremely hot. Even my hens stop when temps reach 110+ degrees and only cools down to 100+ at night. If I don't turn on the misters at 105 they start dying. I think I'll try supplemental lighting because our seasons are kindof upside down from yours. Then when they stop laying in the summer heat, it will be like when they stop laying for your colder winters.