10 month old hens stopped laying--molting in the spring?

[alexiegrl]

I have two ~10 month old hens (a barred rock and an Easter egger), both started laying in the fall and layed consistently during the winter (which was/is a long, cold one here in PA!), but now they've both stopped (within a few weeks of each other...the barred rock first, she's a few weeks younger). It's been a few weeks, and I've noticed more feathers around than normal, but not a ton, so maybe they're molting?

How long does molting usually take? I kind of figured that if they were molting that would be obvious by now (I think the barred rock stopped laying about a month ago).

Everything I've read so far says that usually happens in the fall and when they're more than a year old...is that the norm?

I thought it could be a calcium deficiency, so even though I was feeding them a fortified feed, I added some more crushed eggshells to the mix.

Other than that, they seem totally normal and healthy! Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

 

[Younguns98]

Need help have a bantam and she has stopped laying and will only sit it the coop what do I do

 

[PrairieChickens]

Alexie, if they are molting, what they will want most right now is protein. Molting can take several weeks to complete, and it's not always obvious that the bird is going through a molt. Although they usually molt at 18 months or in the fall, chickens will do as they please, and could molt whenever it seems like the time to do it.

Try offering them extra protein to help them along. While it may not be the miracle "cure" that brings back the eggs, it will speed their recovery.

 

[PrairieChickens]

Need help have a bantam and she has stopped laying and will only sit it the coop what do I do

For starters, your best bet would be posting a brand new thread of your own to ask your question, rather than posting in someone else's, but since we're both here, I'll answer your question.

There are lots of reasons a hen might stop laying or become a homebody, but I'm going to go on a hunch and say your hen has probably gone broody. Here's a few things to check:

•Does the hen sit in the same spot all of the time, like a nesting box or a corner of the coop?
•Does she seem unusually "spread out", almost like she's melted?
•Does she have a trance-like expression and just stare out at the world from her chosen spot?
•If she is removed from the nest and placed outside, does she run around frantically with a wild, nervous energy, perhaps eating, drinking, or dust bathing in fast-forward before racing back to the same spot she was and hunkering back down?

If you said yes to these questions, you have a broody on your hands. You might try sticking day-old chicks under her and leaving them overnight to see if she accepts them.

 

[Younguns98]

Thanks but she does not stay in the same box