16 hens and NO eggs

[Mahonri]

What about chickens in Ecuador where days and nights are equal year round?

Where is nature's down time there?

I have a coop where the light is on from 6AM until 8PM year round.

I also have two pens where there is no artificial light.

I don't see any difference between the three areas.

It's AZ and they are all still laying, light or no light.

 

[MissPrissy]

You don't have chickens that have to acclimate to freezing weather and conserve their energy for survival.

 

[gsim]

Best I can understand molting is that the feathers must grow back before egg production resumes. I can understand that as a normal body system means, to insure adequate feathering for the cooler weather that follows molting. I would give them Calf-Manna to boost protein and help their feathers grow back sooner. have read of molting lasting for up to 5 months but do not know if that is natural or rare. Seems everyone expects a 2-month long molt minimum from what I read so far.

Mine molted in Sept and it was over by Oct . May be 6 weeks max. I never see feathers anywhere now. They never got bare looking. They started laying at end of Sept at 16 weeks. I am in Tennessee and I keep reading about molting still going on further north than here. Was I just blessed or is it because mine are only 5 1/2 months old that I got off so easy? I still do not have all yet laying, but got 16 eggs yest from my 24 young layers. Or, could be more layers and none hitting every day.

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Your climate is hardly similar to mine, where the temps will go down and stay in the 20's for weeks on end- with lower dips. It's cold and dark here, the light is the same now as it will be in February, won't be until the end of February before the day is noticeably longer. I'm getting one egg a day from an intrepid RIR, other than that nothing, and that's fine with me. I'll let them rest.

Mine have been molting for about three months now. The EEs were the first to start to molt, first to stop laying (mid-September), they're all beautifully feathered out now, but no eggs from them. I raked another load of feathers out yesterday, the barred rocks are dropping tons of feathers right now, along with the RIRs, who seem to have a never-ending supply of feathers to drop! They look awful, one looked like a pin cushion, she's got feathers now but they aren't fully grown yet. Molting is hard on them, I've upped their protein to help out (BOSS, safflower seeds, and all the meat scraps I can come up with for them - oh yea, and turning the compost pile, they love those red wrigglers!).

 

[twister]

I live in North MS and we have mild temps compared to northern states--- even my hens have decreased laying and they are the production types : Prod.Red and Leghorn. That is OK by me... I am not forcing them w. pellets or lights. They need rest like every other living thing. Luckily, a lady down the way sells fresh farm eggs that I purchase and DO NOT have to resort to buying supermarket variety.

Well stated, Ms. Prissy.

 

[Reinbeau]

Twister, I had to buy eggs, too, from the woman I used to buy them from, she's got Golden Comets and those birds don't seem to slow down - although she's got 250-300 of them!! I haven't touched a supermarket egg in over ten years, even though this is only my second winter with my own chickens, I'm fortunate that there are quite a few chicken farmers around here that raise their birds the way I think they should be raised.

 

[write2caroline]

I don't know about needing rest as most of my pullets are actually spring and summer chickens and NO EGGS - To badly quote a song on the radio
Their aint no rest for the wicked
Money don't grow on trees
I've got bills to pay
I've got mouths to feed
Aint nothing in the world for free
I can't slow down
I can't hold back
You know I wish I could
Ain't no rest for the wicked
Till we close our eyes for good!

Those chicks better start making me some breakfast!
LOL
Cal
Jax FL

 

[MissPrissy]

First year pullets have their own sets of rules.

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
They surely do. My birds were egg layin' machines last winter - their first. I actually got two eggs today - fluke or is it a turn around? Only time will tell

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
So, I have a question now. Do you NOT feed the layer pellets when they are molting? And, if only a couple are molting and the rest are still laying, do you still remove layer pellets until the molt is over? I have 2 molting/not laying, and the rest are still laying though slightly reduced rates. All the birds are eating layer feed, with some protein treats on the side. What should I feed them instead?