young Aracauna's stopped laying, why? and how to fix them...

[firefowl]

I acquired 2 Aracauna hens last year (around September), they were less than a year old according to the seller. They use to lay quite frequently, I was impressed considering that I was used to Australorps which lay very frequently. Anyway a little bit later I thought it would be a good idea to get a rooster but unfortunately my neighbours didn't think it was such a good idea. I'm sure things are way different in the USA but very sadly Australia has a culture of whinging cry babies that will complain to the Council (local government) at the drop of a hat. In fact they have been trained/brainwashed to cry to the authorities for anything and everything.

Granted that the rooster was crowing quite often though not early in the morning because I let it out only after I got up before work. By the way I live in a country town with 2000 people right near the town limits and farms with cows and sheep within earshot. It makes me so angry that these idiots actually complained about a rooster in the country, if you can't have one in the country then where can you actually have one? On the frigging moon? If you can't handle a crowing rooster you shouldn't be allowed to live in the country! I'll bet this wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world except for the UK. Anyway I got sick of the complaints and council threatening to unlawfully enter my property so I got rid of the rooster. Yes I did try a no crow collar that significantly reduced the volume but these idiots would only settle for total silence.

Ever since then the hens just stayed in their hutch and only come out to eat or drink. And they have not layed a single egg since then which was more than 3 months ago. They don't consume much feed either but still I'm feeding them for nothing. I've noticed if they do venture out they tend to get swooped by magpies which are these annoying native birds that even swoop humans and have been know to injure humans. There are no trees on my property yet so there isn't much cover for them. However before the rooster they used to free range all the time and the Magpies were always there.

So what can I do to get them laying again? I've tried booting them out the coop and shutting the door to force them out but it never works. As soon as I open the coop again they will go in and stay in and never lay any eggs. I'm hoping to plant some trees soon but it's so difficult to get basic trees in Australia like Alder and the only one available is a useless evergreen variety. Trees that they sell in general are ornamental varities, they never have anything actually useful because idiot people want tress that are pretty instead of useful. Where as I want my trees to double as a source of firewood and for growing mushrooms on but I digress. How do I make my useless chicken forage so they can produce eggs again?

 

[Pyxis]

They don't want to go out because every time they do they're being attacked by birds. Magpies aren't small birds; they have wingspans of at least two feet up to nearly three feet. If every time you went outside you got attacked from above by a bunch of huge things you probably wouldn't want to go out either, lol. The rooster was likely protecting his girls from the magpies, as he should. So, to get them outside, you need to give them cover from these birds or they're never going to want to go out. Either build a covered run or give them lots of low lying cover like bushes and things that they can duck under, or build structures they can duck under for shelter. The covered run is really the best option. If magpies can injure humans, they can kill chickens.

Also, while taking the rooster away may have upset them enough to stop them laying for awhile, what's really stopping them is probably the time of year. You said you're in Australia, so it's winter there. You're not getting a lot of daylight hours. A hen needs to get about 12 to 14 hours of daylight a day to trigger her hormones so that she lays. If you add a light to the coop to provide the proper amount of light, they should start laying again.

However all that does is sacrifice long term laying. A hen is born with all the eggs she will ever have in her body. Once they're gone, they're gone. So you can add a light to make them lay more now, but that will just take time off their laying later in their lives. Of course if you just plan to make soup out of them when they stop and replace them with new birds, that's not necessarily a problem.

 

[aart]

You said you're in Australia, so it's winter there. You're not getting a lot of daylight hours.

This^^^^ especially.......and I would assume molting is a factor also.

Sounds like lots of stressors are involved, some applied by yourself.
Wonders what nutrient balance you are providing your 'useless' chickens.

 

[Suprise-Chicks]

Hi, I have a story for you and I have posted it before too.

Same thing happened to me, I had a lavender Aruacana Roo, and 2 girls, I had to get rid of him, and Lacey stopped laying after he went. Her look changed and she even tried to crow... her sister Bindi was a still laying, I was told Lacey just needed a Roo in her life so a friend took her. Then Bindi stopped laying, the same friend took Bindi, only a few weeks back. Guess what one of them
Are laying again, my guess is Bindi as she stopped for the shorter time. Only time will tell if both girls lay again.
Hope this helps.