I have 2 different flocks, my first flock of rhode Island reds I got summer of 2010 and they laid incredibly well from september 2010 until about june 2011, I would say 18 of the 21 were laying, but then in june when they should have been laying better than in the winter one by one ceased laying. by this time they were 12 months of age. they were not molting and in good health and spirits, plenty of light, a clean coop and the same feed as always, layer pellets. of course they free ranged all spring summer and fall.
I figured they were coming into molt earlier than normal so I didn't make a big deal out of it since I had gotten a second flock of 40 in may and would likely be laying by september. I figured the older flock needed a break. and would resume laying when they were ready. I let them do their chicken thing without disturbing them too much except on sundays when I would clean the coops and do a check over on them to be sure they were all still in good health.
the new girls, 40 variety layers, black stars, red stars, rhode island reds and barred rocks enjoyed their free range summer and fall and in september as expected some began to lay, very tiny eggs, but I would say that by the end of september about 16 or so were laying. October the eggs were getting a bit bigger but I was only getting about 12 now per day, still none from the older flock.
then november, maybe 6 from the new girls, December, 2 to 3, and now nothing what so ever. And still nothing from the older girls.
but I have seen a massive increase in one thing...since they stopped laying I am going through 100lbs of feed per week, they are eating and eating and eating, but laying nothing. when the days began to get shorter the lights in the barn were once again placed on timers like last year, 12 hours per day, on at 5 am and off at 5 pm. The feeders are filled every 2 days as they are quite big, and the waterers are thawed and changed daily.
I want to say its just the weather, cause well its quite cold in Northern ontario, but honestly it just makes no sense to me at all. I have 30 something customers all waiting for them to finally start putting out those eggs again, and the feed bill that their eggs paid for is now costing me 160 bucks per month.
today my husband asked me to make a final decision, he wants me to decide between keeping them as they are until summer and see what happens, or processing them and getting 2 new replacement flocks. He truly believes that they will not lay again, and we are losing our customers to other farms. So the pressure really is on me to make a choice, I cannot keep these 2 flocks and add another 2 in order to get the eggs going.
I hate having to be the one to make this decision, but like he said they are my chickens, my final say. But he did remind me we are on a tight budget and feeding animals that are not producing,
anything I could try that i haven't done already, I already laced their feed with cayenne, the barn is well ventilated, it is not heated, but unlike last year it is insulated this year, so they are much warmer in the barn then they were last year!!
any input would be much appreciated,
Ema
I figured they were coming into molt earlier than normal so I didn't make a big deal out of it since I had gotten a second flock of 40 in may and would likely be laying by september. I figured the older flock needed a break. and would resume laying when they were ready. I let them do their chicken thing without disturbing them too much except on sundays when I would clean the coops and do a check over on them to be sure they were all still in good health.
the new girls, 40 variety layers, black stars, red stars, rhode island reds and barred rocks enjoyed their free range summer and fall and in september as expected some began to lay, very tiny eggs, but I would say that by the end of september about 16 or so were laying. October the eggs were getting a bit bigger but I was only getting about 12 now per day, still none from the older flock.
then november, maybe 6 from the new girls, December, 2 to 3, and now nothing what so ever. And still nothing from the older girls.
but I have seen a massive increase in one thing...since they stopped laying I am going through 100lbs of feed per week, they are eating and eating and eating, but laying nothing. when the days began to get shorter the lights in the barn were once again placed on timers like last year, 12 hours per day, on at 5 am and off at 5 pm. The feeders are filled every 2 days as they are quite big, and the waterers are thawed and changed daily.
I want to say its just the weather, cause well its quite cold in Northern ontario, but honestly it just makes no sense to me at all. I have 30 something customers all waiting for them to finally start putting out those eggs again, and the feed bill that their eggs paid for is now costing me 160 bucks per month.
today my husband asked me to make a final decision, he wants me to decide between keeping them as they are until summer and see what happens, or processing them and getting 2 new replacement flocks. He truly believes that they will not lay again, and we are losing our customers to other farms. So the pressure really is on me to make a choice, I cannot keep these 2 flocks and add another 2 in order to get the eggs going.
I hate having to be the one to make this decision, but like he said they are my chickens, my final say. But he did remind me we are on a tight budget and feeding animals that are not producing,
anything I could try that i haven't done already, I already laced their feed with cayenne, the barn is well ventilated, it is not heated, but unlike last year it is insulated this year, so they are much warmer in the barn then they were last year!!
any input would be much appreciated,
Ema
