7 chickens extremely decreased laying

Spring Chickens

Chirping
Jul 6, 2020
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I have 7 Rhode Island Mixes that are 2 years old this spring, they have been great layers even laying through winter but this spring they have went from giving me 5-7 eggs a day to 1-2 for the last 2 months. They are all in different stages of molt, but they are also going into the best boxes and sitting in them for hours then come out not having laid an egg.

Could the decrease in production be molting? Partial broody? Or just age?
 
likely molting. Not age - heritage breeds like RIR can lay for a decade or more. If any are broody, they will show classic signs of flattening like a pancake in the nest, and probably being protective of it, producing one massive poop instead of lots of small ones, and sitting there most of the day.
 
I have 7 Rhode Island Mixes that are 2 years old this spring, they have been great layers even laying through winter but this spring they have went from giving me 5-7 eggs a day to 1-2 for the last 2 months. They are all in different stages of molt, but they are also going into the best boxes and sitting in them for hours then come out not having laid an egg.

Could the decrease in production be molting? Partial broody? Or just age?
Do you use supplemental lighting?
They didn't molt last fall at about 6 months old?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
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There are several things that can make it appear that they are laying less. Being two years old is not one of them. I'll assume you are north of the equator.

The number one reason is the molt. You said yours are molting. I'll briefly mention some others but yours are molting.

If they are actually laying they can hide a nest. Happens a lot. Something can be getting the eggs. Snakes, canines, and humans are the critters in North America that take eggs without leaving a trace.

A broody hen doesn't lay eggs. The way I tell if a hen is truly broody is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of in her normal sleeping area. What she does during the day doesn't count.

A typical pattern for molting is that the chickens molt in the fall when the days get shorter. Sometimes pullets will skip the molt their first fall/winter and continue laying until the following fall. Sounds like that may have happened with yours. Usually they do molt when the days get shorter the following fall but not always. That's why Aart is asking about supplemental lighting. It doesn't always have to be on purpose, it may be a security light or street light. Or we may mess with that natural cycle some other ways. I don't know why yours didn't molt last fall (assuming you are north of the equator) but it sure sounds like they didn't.

Different things can cause them to molt out of season. Often that is stress of many different kinds. But also, after they have laid continuously for a long time without a break they need a rest so their body can recharge. Typically that is over a year to 15 months of constant laying. I don't know why yours are molting this time of the year but molting hens generally don't lay eggs. They use the nutrients that were going into making eggs to grow feathers. When they finish the molt they will go back to laying like gangbusters.
 

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