2 Chickens haven’t laid eggs in 3 months

[AbbyTeters]

My hens are 1 year old. 2 of the 3 went through a molt early fall. They both were very good layers previously but totally stopped laying eggs. It’s been 3 months now (a welsummer and an Easter egger)
They are Both acting normal, eatting and drinking fine etc. I upped their protein during the molt and they typically eat layer crumbles with oyster shell and grit free choice. They have hydra hen in their water. What else can I do to get them to start laying again?

We are only getting tiny eggs from our silkie currently. Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

It's their winter break, usually they don't lay during molt, then there's not enough daylight to trigger laying. You could give them until medicated chick feed or flock raiser since they don't need layer when they're not laying.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is normal for hens after molt.

Laying should resume when the days are getting longer instead of shorter.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Many of us don't get any eggs from hens roughly 18 mos and up, in late fall/winter months. This is why keeping a flock of varied ages helps with egg production, as younger birds are far more likely to lay through winter.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I might add to what has already been said that different breeds tend to lay better during winter as well, like Barnevelders. I don't know any others off the top of my head but my barnies always laid through the winter even if they weren't prolific layers. My Turkens are laying right now as well and so is my Orpington. Occasionally my old Sussex still lays an egg as well so it depends on how much daylight they're getting, whether they've just been through a molt (or a hatch) and their breed. You can add supplemental lighting but I don't recommend that unless you're desperate.

 

[Onyxflock]

My hens are 1 year old. 2 of the 3 went through a molt early fall. They both were very good layers previously but totally stopped laying eggs. It’s been 3 months now (a welsummer and an Easter egger)
They are Both acting normal, eatting and drinking fine etc. I upped their protein during the molt and they typically eat layer crumbles with oyster shell and grit free choice. They have hydra hen in their water. What else can I do to get them to start laying again?

We are only getting tiny eggs from our silkie currently. Thanks!

I've been stressed over this same thing! 5 hens, 3+ years old -1 had a hard molt just as the weather turned to freezing. No eggs from any of the for 6 weeks at least. All 5 laid through the last 2 winters.
I supplemented with Rooster Booster cell, for feather health, high in protein. Same feed, sunflower, meal worms and scratch.
I wonder if adding a light in the roost until 10m might trigger them. It's cold and starting to get dark, so they're on the roost by 4:30-5:00 pm. Maybe adding light that time of day would be beneficial?

 

[Onyxflock]

I've also heard that bringing a rooster in would re-charge their laying instincts. Does anyone know of this? I had to give the last one away when he got mean

 

[NatJ]

I've been stressed over this same thing! 5 hens, 3+ years old...
I wonder if adding a light in the roost until 10m might trigger them. It's cold and starting to get dark, so they're on the roost by 4:30-5:00 pm. Maybe adding light that time of day would be beneficial?

Yes, light could help.
You will not get immediate results, but longer days will tell their bodies to get ready and lay eggs. That will mean some amount of time (may be weeks) when they are busy making egg yolks, before you see the first egg. Then once they start laying, they should continue to lay, as long as you keep up the lights.

A common recommendation is to provide light for 14 to 16 hours per day. That includes sunlight and artificial light in any combination.

I've also heard that bringing a rooster in would re-charge their laying instincts. Does anyone know of this? I had to give the last one away when he got mean

No, I would not expect a rooster to help.

If you add artificial lilghts, or wait until the days get long in spring, the hens should start laying again anyway, with or without a rooster. But if you add a rooster about the same time, it might look like he caused the change, even though the real cause is extra light.

 

[jgarner1327]

My hens are 1 year old. 2 of the 3 went through a molt early fall. They both were very good layers previously but totally stopped laying eggs. It’s been 3 months now (a welsummer and an Easter egger)
They are Both acting normal, eatting and drinking fine etc. I upped their protein during the molt and they typically eat layer crumbles with oyster shell and grit free choice. They have hydra hen in their water. What else can I do to get them to start laying again?

We are only getting tiny eggs from our silkie currently. Thanks!

I have 5 chickens, four are a year and a half old and one is four. Two Buff Orpingtons, 2 Black Australorps, and the old girl is a New Hampshire Red. I was giving them an oyster shell calcium in a manufactured crumb form and I don't think they weren't eating it. They eat organic laying pellets with calcium for laying hens, BSF larva (treat for extra calcium), crushed egg shells, and yogurt. Their combs got much smaller and pale, and they weren't laying more than one egg total out of five hens and only one every few days. They all looked kind of unhealthy. Three starting molting. Then I found flaked oyster shell which I had used years ago but it hasn't been available. They ate it up like crazy, and their combs got larger and a bright color, and now they are laying 3 eggs a day. The flaked oyster shell looks like gray fish scales compared to the manufactured calcium that looks like big white crumbs. I think the crumb calcium was not digestible and they couldn't absorb it. My guess is something in the manufacturing process caused the calcium to be bound to whatever else is in it and not bioavailable to the chickens. The change in them was pretty dramatic.

 

[NatJ]

combs got much smaller and pale, and they weren't laying more than one egg total out of five hens and only one every few days. They all looked kind of unhealthy. Three starting molting.

If this was recent, it was in the fall, right?
Molting in the fall is perfectly normal.
Hens normally stop laying eggs while they molt.
Small, pale combs are normal any time a hen is not laying-- like during the molt.
(Comb size and color are affected by the same hormones that affect laying. So a big red comb is normal on hens that are laying, while a small pale comb is normal on a hen that is molting or broody.)

Then I found flaked oyster shell which I had used years ago but it hasn't been available. They ate it up like crazy, and their combs got larger and a bright color, and now they are laying 3 eggs a day.

When a hen finished molting, it is also normal for her comb to get big and bright, and for her to start laying again.

The flaked oyster shell looks like gray fish scales compared to the manufactured calcium that looks like big white crumbs. I think the crumb calcium was not digestible and they couldn't absorb it. My guess is something in the manufacturing process caused the calcium to be bound to whatever else is in it and not bioavailable to the chickens.

Maybe, maybe not. If they are getting layer feed, it should have about the right amount of calcium, so they should not actually need much more than that. There's nothing wrong with providing other calcium, it is just less important for hens eating layer feed than for hens eating other kinds of feed.

The change in them was pretty dramatic.

That is completely normal for a hen that was recently molting.


So yes, the oyster shell may have made some difference, but I think all of the symptoms could also be explained by the season of year and the hens molting.