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With this question,,, I am wondering where are you located?Do Copper Marans require more light than other breeds?
Thank you. I am in Seattle Washington' USA. It is high summer for us.With this question,,, I am wondering where are you located?
Southern Hemisphere???
Yes we at BYC have quite a few members from such areas.
So let me take a guess. If you think the amount of light is somewhat insufficient,,,, that would indicate you are in winter time.
That would translate to hen getting that seasonal winter break from laying. Also they stop laying during a Molt.
Copper Marans are not a production type chicken, so they do take egg laying breaks
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,![]()
Thank you for such a detailed response. Mine have an enclosed yard. I have only three layers right now. The Barred Rock and the Cream Crested Legbar are both laying as expected. I have seen some feathers... I'll take a closer look at her overall appearance and behavior.Some reasons chickens stop laying.
The molt - This could be a full molt when the days get shorter in the fall or a full or partial molt due to stress. Many different things can cause that stress: a change in lighting patterns, predator attack, extreme weather, a change in the pecking order, or a change in housing to name a few. Are you seeing loose feathers flying around?
They hide a nest - This is fairly common. Instead of laying in a normal spot they start laying where you don't see them.
Egg eaters - Some critter is eating eggs. Some are going to leave evidence behind like shells or wet spots, but some will not leave any trace. What critters that might be doing that depends on where you are in the world.
Broody - They stop laying when they go broody.
Disease - Some diseases can cause them to stop egg laying but if they are acting normally this is probably not the reason.
So what can you do?
If yours roam, try locking them in the coop or coop/run for a few days and see if your eggs increase. This could mean that you have locked them away from a hidden nest or you have locked out an egg eating predator.
Try discretely marking a couple of eggs and leave them down there. If they disappear something is getting the eggs.
Sometimes you can't figure out what is going on. Hopefully you can or they start laying again soon.