3 Year Old hens haven't laid in years!!!

[gtaus]

Please try to figure out what the problem is. Killing them is not a solution. Your next flock will probably have the same issues if the circumstances are still the same. I have 8 and 9 year old heritage breed bantams. They take a long break in winter and are broody sometimes. But otherwise they still lay about an egg every other day.

I agree that it is best to try to figure out if there is a problem so you don't repeat it in the future. But I must admit that I started off with meat chickens that I harvested at 10 weeks. So, replacing non-productive laying hens is not an issue for me. I also plan on replacing my flock every 2 years because it costs a lot more to carry them over the winter if they don't lay eggs. I also don't consider my flock as pets and, on purpose, don't get too attached to them like you might with a family pet dog. But that's just my way of keeping a flock. I appreciate others who feel differently.

I just hope that OP does not feel bad if they decided to replace the current flock and try some new breeds, for example. Some of us do that every other year as our plan.

 

[nuthatched]

Hmm, are the chickens just duds or what should I do next?

Wait until to April to see if it was just molting +winter break

 

[BDutch]

So, replacing non-productive laying hens is not an issue for me. I also plan on replacing my flock every 2 years because it costs a lot more to carry them over the winter if they don't lay eggs. I also don't consider my flock as pets and, on purpose, don't get too attached to them like you might with a family pet dog. But that's just my way of keeping a flock. I appreciate others who feel differently.

For me its a no-go if replacing them means I have to kill my chickens. But my chickens are no pets either. I have them for eggs as long as they lay but also because its fun to have them around. Love to see the bunch free ranging in the garden and beyond.

My chickens are not allowed in the house and I don't take the chickens to the vet if they get sick. Maybe with one exception in the future : if I suspect something contagious that is threatening for my whole flock, and possibly has a cure.

I try to give them a pleasant life but interfere and accompany little. The most pet like that I do is to pat a few of the girls on the back if they come and squat in front of me. Only 3 /out of 6 like that. They probably miss a rooster.

Did you ever try supplemental light in winter? Maybe its worthwhile to keep them that way for another year ?

 

[BDutch]

Wait until to April to see if it was just molting +winter break

April is very late to start laying again. My little chickens (oldies) start sooner. You can try if they lay sooner with supplemental light in the morning to speed it up (led not TL).

 

[Max Forister]

Well, I thought you said you had a lot of older hens (2+ years old). I don't even count them as laying hens at that point. But you should be getting more eggs from the younger hens.

Are you sure that you are not losing eggs to an egg eater? In the 4+ years I have raised laying hens, I seem to go through times where a hen will start eating eggs. You might never notice it either because they will eat the shell as well. If you are lucky, you might catch the egg eater in the process, but the best I have ever done is seen a pecked and cracked egg that had not yet been fully eaten.

Since you are concerned about lack of egg production, I would suggest next time you get some chicks that you consider getting production breeds, like the ISA Brown for brown eggs or the California Whites for white eggs. That is based solely on my observation of which of my hens are the best egg layers.

A big advantage of getting the ISA Brown breed is that the chicks are different colors for the sexes. So, if you order ISA Brown hens, you are 100% sure to only get pullets.

I"m an old guy now, but if I was unhappy with my flock, I'd just replace them as fast as I could. They only cost you money feeding them and getting little to no eggs. And if you are frustrated with the flock, that's no good for you either. Raising laying hens has been a great positive experience for me. It might be a better option to start over with a new flock than to continue to be disappointed with your current one.

Having said that, I tell people I bought composting chickens and get eggs as a bonus. I do a lot of backyard gardening and use my chicken run compost to feed my raised garden beds. So, even if the hens are not laying a lot of eggs, they are still producing compost for me. The amount of compost I harvest from the chicken run composting system exceeds the value I get from my hens in eggs.

I'm almost certain there is not an egg-eater because I go outside to them very frequently and I haven't seen any evidence. That's not to say it isn't possible, but I will consider your recommendations.

 

[gtaus]

I'm almost certain there is not an egg-eater because I go outside to them very frequently and I haven't seen any evidence. That's not to say it isn't possible, but I will consider your recommendations.

Well, it was just a thought. Better that you don't have an egg eater on top of your other concerns. Hope things get better for you.

 

[BDutch]

I'm almost certain there is not an egg-eater because I go outside to them very frequently and I haven't seen any evidence. That's not to say it isn't possible, but I will consider your recommendations.

I just read that Buff Orpingtons become obese very easily. If a chicken gets too fat, she stops laying.
Worth a try?: Let them have plenty of exercise and don't feed 24/7.

 

[StinkyAcres]

How much coop and run space do your rooster and 12 hens have?

^^

 

[gtaus]

I just read that Buff Orpingtons become obese very easily. If a chicken gets too fat, she stops laying.

I agree with that. But I think BO's tend to fill out and gain weight as they get older no matter what you do. At least that is what I saw in my flock.

Worth a try?: Let them have plenty of exercise and don't feed 24/7.

I have read lots of articles stating that providing feed 24/7 actually reduces the amount of feed the laying hens will eat. If they have feed and water available 24/7, they only eat what they need and stop. If you only feed them a rationed amount once a day, they try to gobble up as much as fast as they can.

Meat chickens will eat till they can't walk....

For my flock, I have feed available 24/7 and then I don't worry about lower ranking hens getting their required amount of feed every day.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I know lots of people claim that their 6 year old hens still give them eggs, and maybe they are for where they live.

I live in Vermont, which gets cold but not as cold as Minnesota, and two of my three 6+ year old hens laid this year. The one who didn't lay is sick with arthritis or gout, not sure which. The only times I've had hens stop laying completely is because they were sick or injured.