7 Month old Australorps started laying then stopped!

[gdanger]

So we 7 black australorps that starting giving us between 3-6 eggs a day at around 5 1/2 months and then a week ago suddenly stopped. We were keeping the in the coop until 1pm then we let the free range so we figured the started laying outside instead. We kept them in their huge coop and run for a few days with zero eggs. We have let them start to free range again. We live in NW Montana and right now we have sunlight from 9 to 7 and we do not offer supplemental light. The temps have been in the 50 the last week with cooler evenings. We do offer free choice oyster shell and free choice layer feed. We also give them healthy kitchen scraps on occasion. They seem to not want to eat much of either and we figured they were eating free range mostly. We did get them as meat birds but I wanted to keep them alive until our egg birds mature. What the heck could it be? In the past we had barred rocks, orphingtons and wyandottes all of whom laid great throughout winter with any differences.

My husband is ready to butcher them off if we do not see an improvement.

 

[cavemanrich]

First lets

Now there can be a few reasons for the egg strike. Your feed is CORRECT. So cross that off. Most likely the shorter daylight hours are the culprit. Temperature drops are also a factor. Another thing being a possibility is that they have gone into a molt. It may just be starting and not that noticeable.

But I do know that chickens like music, So I think you should get one of these posters so they can enjoy music related thoughts.

 

[gdanger]

I feel like 7 months is just so early for birds to molt.

 

[aart]

I feel like 7 months is just so early for birds to molt.

It is generally, but it can happen. Had a 9 month old do a full molt last winter..and have read about several other too.
Not all first year layers will lay thru winter without light.

You might try bumping up the protein just to see if that helps.