11 weeks, no eggs

[GC-Raptor]

Well I hope yours isn’t just teasing you like my leghorn schmeghorn!

Yeah, that would bum me out. GC

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You're right, snakes are cold blooded. Duh!

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Hi there, its common for your girls to take a winter break from laying. Its not so much the temperature that caused them to go on strike but the day light. During the dark days of winter when natural light is limited they will go on vacation. In a flock of 50 I am only getting a few eggs a day. After the Sun returns to our sky, usually around the Vernal Equinox you will see your girls come back on line.

Don't worry, they are fine, just be patient and they will soon reward you with some golden breakfast orbs.

 

[Folly's place]

I have a light on from 4am to 8am every morning, and it helps. Most of my hens are STILL not in production, and haven't been for over two months! My pullets are laying some eggs, and I do have some pullets every year.
I have a total of 26 hens and pullets, and am getting seven to nine eggs every day, and can't wait for better production!
This is a reason to NOT feed a layer feed, as birds not actually in lay shouldn't have that extra calcium.
Mary

 

[sciencegrrrrl]

This seems to be the year of the hard mold for most of us. It took my gals much longer to recover than in most years. Keep feeding extra protein to help them get back to normal

 

[sciencegrrrrl]

Or molt if my autocorrect was more chicken-friendly!

 

[olrobo]

I have 5 Buff Orppingtons that have not laid a single egg in 11 weeks, since the beginning of November. We had a sudden change in the temperatures and a snow storm at Halloween then started construction on an addition about 25 feet from the coop. Nothing else about their food, water or habitat has changed. Could the change in temperatures coupled with the noise of the construction have caused stress that in turn caused them to stop laying? I'm really at a loss here. Any thoughts or advice?

Hi! I would say that this is perfectly normal. I have two Buffs which were excellent layers since the time I got them (I bought them when they were already laying to replace two of my Rhode Island Reds that didn't make it). Anyway, from these 5 chickens I consistently gather 2-4 eggs daily during the spring/summer/fall and at least an egg every other day or so all through that first winter). However this season, I got my last egg on November 10th and didn't get one egg until this past Sunday (01/31/2020) - this is about the same number of days on either side of the equinox. I've read and been told that chickens will slow down or stop during the winter and need about 14 hours of daylight to produce so, shorter periods of daylight have an effect. Stress can also be a big factor. The guy I got my buffs from told me that they consistently laid at least an egg a day however, it took them about a week to start up after I transported them home to a new coop and introduced them to new chickens. So, I can assume that any kind of radical change or new situation can affect them as well. I know that unless they have already laid early - one the days we clean their coop out (weekly) - I'll get no eggs. Anyway, they should start up any time!

 

[Elizabeth2]

I have 5 Buff Orppingtons that have not laid a single egg in 11 weeks, since the beginning of November. We had a sudden change in the temperatures and a snow storm at Halloween then started construction on an addition about 25 feet from the coop. Nothing else about their food, water or habitat has changed. Could the change in temperatures coupled with the noise of the construction have caused stress that in turn caused them to stop laying? I'm really at a loss here. Any thoughts or advice?

You have a few things going on here. 1) Weather depending on where you live, and how cold/snowy it gets, egg production slows down/stops so the hen can conserve energy to keep warm. I live in mid-west and we are having a milder winter so I am getting eggs now. A normal cold winter, my hens stop producing from about Dec to end of Feb. If you want eggs year round and have warmer winters than I do, you will have to install an artificial light system.
2). Age/breed: The older they get, the less they produce. Also some breeds lay more eggs than others. Some high producing breeds lay daily, some medium producing only a few a week, and finally;
3) Change in their Routine: Mine do not like change, and you have construction going on - Yes that is a factor. Just try putting something new around/in their coop and see what happens for a few days (even adding something like a dust bathing pan they will steer clear until they get used to it, then oh boy once they figure it out it becomes daily routine and accepted)!

Great question, we all have them and I have learned so much from this site & others on it who share their knowledge with me.

 

[GC-Raptor]

This seems to be the year of the hard mold for most of us. It took my gals much longer to recover than in most years. Keep feeding extra protein to help them get back to normal

I hear you. All five of my 17 months old Barred Rocks were/are in a hard molt. The first started her molt in October. The last was in a soft molt till this week when she suddenly went into a hard molt. She looks like she fell into a chicken plucker. .
She would shake and a dozen feathers would fall.
She was my only hen laying. I haven't gotten any eggs since the 22nd.
They have been on a 20% Protein All-Flock/Flock Raiser feed since November and before that they were fed a 18% Non-Medicated Starter-Grower. GC

 

[Vicker]

Ah. 3yrs old would be the tell for me. My chickens produce like crazy until they hit the age of 3. After that, I'd starve if I had to depend on them to feed me.