14 month old chicken stopped laying eggs...

[mmg2681]

We absolutely love our hens. We have 3 of them, and since the age of 6 months, they have each laid an egg each and every day. Our "mama hen", as we call her, was always leading the pack. Now, for the past 2-3 weeks, she isnt out with the other two hens during the day, and she just sits in her nesting box until I physically take her out and make her run around with the others.

Not only that, instead of getting 2-3 eggs a day, we only get one, and the "mama hen" is always sitting on it.

We dont give our chickens oyster shells, but we give them their own eggshells. Do you think I should try getting some oyster shells for the hens? Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

 

[troyer]

Sounds like your "mama hen" wants to set on those eggs and hatch them. If you want little chicks and the eggs you have are not fertile then get some eggs from someone that has fertile eggs. If you don't have a rooster then the eggs from your hens won't be fertile.

 

[PressOn]

I have two BSL and two RSL, all of them are 15 months. Each of them started laying one egg / day at 17 weeks old. Even through the winter I was averaging. 3.5 eggs/ day.

I started feeded good portions of Astaxanthin (mascot of Alabama State and cause of the pink in shrimp, flamingos, and salmon) to them to darken the eggs and it worked they are red. Freeks out unexpected family. On the down side I am only getting one or two eggs/ day. I stopped feeding them astaxanthin about a week ago, egg yolks are still dark red, and I am still only getting one or two eggs/ day. Astaxanthin like other Xanthones are oil soluble and thus will take longer to leave the system.

Other egg laying factors are under control.

• Always, always, always plenty of water, food and grass to run on and eat.
• Plenty of shad, plenty of sun (June).
• No major disturbances (yet, I have 5 more birds to join them in two months).

I may have ruined the egg laying ability of my birds. However if they do not get over it in two months when I add the other birds, I will come to find out if the meat is also red.