4 Hens not laying

[ftreb]

Our neighbor is moving so we inherited his 4--2 year old Americana hens two weeks ago. He told us that they stopped laying 6 months ago. He also didn't know what he was feeding them( he said whatever the wife brought home) & they had been kept inside a garage without sufficient light.

I started them on organic feed, supplementing with fodder & freeze dried mealworms. They are now in an inside/outside coop with access to sunlight and fresh grass.

I am curious, with all of the changes & improvements we have made for them, how long do you think it will before they start laying again?

Thanks for any help!

Felicia

 

[annelions]

They may or may not be a little old to be laying "regularly". But it sounds like they stopped laying for their molt, so they should start up again in a month or two, depending on how much they need to recover from being cooped up like that.

 

[AngryRooster]

My some of my hens aren't too old, only two years, and they don't lay at all. It's normal, though you may need to feed your hen more nutritional foods or treats (oyster shells, ect.). I find that chickens love fruit, corn, or anything green, really. I feed my chickens fresh corn three times a week, along with watermelon, rice, oatmeal, cantaloupe, or lettuce heads as treats since they are all nutritional. Some of my two year old hens lay, though their laying pattern is irregular. And feeding your chickens good fruit and vegetables will allow them to live long and happy lives.

 

[ftreb]

Well the girls must have heard me talking about them! I went outside this morning & somebody laid an egg! We'll see how they do from here I guess. Thank you for the responses