I know this has been discussed before but I wanted to get some reassurance from everyone.... Issue #1. I have 4 hens (almost 3 years old) and (5 hens &1roo almost 1 yr old). Haven't got one egg all winter..... Previous winters were somewhat mild but this one has been rough so far. Do you think it's the weather/sun light factor? Or something else? My older hens payed throughout the last couple winters. Issue #2. Two of my older hens have not left the coop in months not even to venture into the run. Do you think it's bc they r intimidated with the new additions or something else? Treated for mites in the fall. Otherwise they look pretty healthy and just finished a molt too. Thanks.
If it's been a rough winter, it's probably the weather, especially for your older girls as egg production lags off as they age. They're still pretty young, but first year layers are the ones that really pop the eggs out during the cold months. As for issue #2, it's pretty strange that they haven't even gone into the run. If they appear healthy, I wouldn't think anything could be wrong with them. Have you tried just setting them outside and seeing what happens?
Do they all get along? How long have they lived together? Maybe there's some bullying going on? Spread some scratch or treats out in the run and watch the interactions. If the 2 hens don't come out for the treats, put them out there.
As for your first issue, it is probably a combination of weather and age. My girls are nearly 3 years old as well, and several of them have not laid this winter either. They finished their molts and are taking their good old time at getting back to laying. In previous years, the eggs never stopped. I personally think the weather has been a factor and their ages. Issue number two, you might give them an over all inspection for anything that might be ailing them. If they seem healthy otherwise, they could just be in a stage of less activity. My girls all went thru hard molts and during this time, chose to stay in the coop thru most of their molts. I had to coax them out into run with keeping their food and water out there so they had to leave the confines of the coop. Lately they do seem more active, however had I not done this, they would probably still be lazing around on the roost bar all day long.
Thank you all for your replies. I feel better about being eggless. Thank you. As for the 2 girls hanging out in the coop, I did see them out in the run today. But, I also did notice that they stayed away from the roo. It seemed like they were walking on egg shells when near him. In the beginning they seemed to boss him around when they were all introduced back in July. I guess more monitoring is the answer but plan to give them another good look tomorrow.
