1egg a day

[swseeds]

I have 7, 3 year old chickens.
They are Orpingtons, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock and brahma
I am only getting 1 egg a day any insight appreciated

 

[nuthatched]

Diet?
Free range?
Any hidden nests?
Molting?
3 is getting up there for a laying hen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you located? North or South of the equator? What is their laying history? How long has this been going on and what were they doing previously?

It could be molting, them hiding a nest, or something eating their eggs.

Are you seeing feathers flying around? If so, suspect that they are molting.

A very common cause is that they are hiding a nest. Some can be good at hiding a nest even in a small coop or run.

A lot of critters eat eggs. Some leave residue behind, some eat the eggs whole. Are you seeing wet spots or bits of shells? How well are they protected from wild animals that might eat eggs Does a dog have access?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Could you have a snake? Is there an odd smell in your hen house?

 

[Traffie Chickens]

I have 7, 3 year old chickens.
They are Orpingtons, New Hampshire, Plymouth Rock and brahma
I am only getting 1 egg a day any insight appreciated

Same! We also have 7 hens and only getting 1 egg a day, but they are all different ages. The oldest are only about 2 and a half years old tho. I really think that they have been eating their eggs. Do you think that is possibly what’s going on with you as well?

 

[swseeds]

I don’t think they are eating their own eggs. I am keeping an eye out though.
Why else would I be only getting 1 egg. Do they stop producing eggs when they are 3, it doesn’t make sense.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, production falls each year. They tend to lay bigger eggs, but they stop laying earlier in the fall, and start back laying later in the spring. If they were laying 5-6 eggs per week in year 1, well 4-5 eggs per week in year 2, and by year 3, may only lay 2-3 eggs per week.

This is why people let old birds go, and add birds each year, to keep egg production up.

Mrs K

 

[swseeds]

Where are you located? North or South of the equator? What is their laying history? How long has this been going on and what were they doing previously?

It could be molting, them hiding a nest, or something eating their eggs.

Are you seeing feathers flying around? If so, suspect that they are molting.

A very common cause is that they are hiding a nest. Some can be good at hiding a nest even in a small coop or run.

A lot of critters eat eggs. Some leave residue behind, some eat the eggs whole. Are you seeing wet spots or bits of shells? How well are they protected from wild animals that might eat eggs Does a dog have access?

I am going to try and answer the questions in order.
We are North
They started about 3 weeks ago previously we were getting three.
They all stopped producing around winter and just started back.
I have 1 chicken molting. But I think she is done.
No critters can get in their coop or pen. It is locked down like Fort Knox.
I am going to look for signs of eating their eggs.

 

[swseeds]

Could you have a snake? Is there an odd smell in your hen house?

No snakes

 

[Ridgerunner]

We are North
They started about 3 weeks ago previously we were getting three.

My first thought is that they are hiding a nest. Can you lock them into a smaller area than normal for a few days and see if eggs start showing up. If they are contained in a small area, do a thorough search. Several people on here have found huge stashes of eggs in their coop. A hidden nest is not always obvious.

Dropping from 3 a day to 1 a day in a few weeks does not sound like them getting older. That change is usually after a molt. With your breeds at three years old I'd be expecting a lot more eggs. How many eggs were you getting last year when they were two?

Each hen is an individual and you do not have enough hens for averages to mean much. It can be fairly easy to predict what a large group will do but not an individual. With your small group just a few hens not being "average" could sway the overall results quite a bit.

It is possible your flock with its individual hens doesn't lay that well but to me your results sound strange. Good luck figuring it out.