Another question about chicken stopped laying

[cjpines]

I have two cuckoo marans, a barred rock, and a buff orpington. Usually the marans lay an egg every other day, so they take turns! It's snowed here, and the girls tentatively stepped out of their coop onto the chicken ladder, then flew down and quickly got under the coop where there was no snow!

However, they have been laying pretty regularly! We did add some red pepper flakes to their food, mainly to keep them warm, but it must be working to keep them laying! We have a small light strip in the coop that goes off at 10:00 every night so that they get their rest. We have a big red light in there in case it ever gets TOO cold, but haven't used it, and it's gotten down to near zero at night a few nights. But we use the deep litter method, so that is helping to keep them warm. We have a thermometer in the coop that we can read inside the house, and the temperature is usually about 9-11 degrees warmed in the coop at night than it is outside. We have a 5-gallon food grade plastic bucket with water for them with two drinking nipples on the bottom hanging in the coop, and a water heater in it that only goes on if the water temperature reaches 34 so that it doesn't freeze. So far, so good! We have one outside, but emptied it for the winter, so they have to go inside if they want a drink. Their pellet food is a large metal feeder that also hangs in the coop, so we don't have to fill it so often. They can't poop in either. We have a camera in the coop so that we can see if the food or water gets low.

There for a while, one of the girls would get stuck lollygagging on the floor of the coop when 10:00 rolled around, the light would go out, and they couldn't see to get up on their roost! It was hysterical! Then Daddy would go out and turn the light on manually until the little lost lamb hopped up on the roost! LOL!!!

They have since decided to get up there a bit earlier so they wouldn't get caught in the dark on the coop floor.

Right now I can't see in the coop via the camera because Java updated and the applet people haven't figured out how to work around a glitch yet.

However, Hubby can still see them via his cell phone!

So far, so good! That is all!

Your chicks are some lucky gals. Love your icons made me laugh.

 

[Sandywitch]

Thank you! I forgot to mention that the orpington and the barred rock have also been laying every day!

 

[cjpines]

Thank you! I forgot to mention that the orpington and the barred rock have also been laying every day!

Lost our young orpington last summer from heat stroke. All others came through it fine. So sad.

Our barred rocks lay every day and seem to be the best layers.

 

[cjpines]

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP WITH MY CHICKEN WHO HASN'T LAYED SINCE AUG.

SO HAPPY TO TELL YOU ALL SHE LAYED THIS MORNING, SMALL EGG BUT AT LEAST SHE'S ON A ROLL AGAIN.

NOT SURE WHAT WAS TROUBLING HER FOR SO MANY MONTHS. CHICKENS ARE HARD TO JUDGE.