any ideas why my hens aren't laying?

PeachygirlGA

Songster
12 Years
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
225
Reaction score
22
Points
201
Location
Fort Valley, GA
We bought these 4 BO last October and they have never laid 4 eggs in a day. There have been rare occasions that we got 3 eggs in a day, but usually 2 or 1 and some days none. The guy who sold them to us said they were 6 months old, but now I'm wondering if they were older than he said. Is there another reason they could be not laying? My husband is wanting to fry one up for supper if he could just figure out who is not laying!
 
They are all laying and taking a different day off as the week rolls around.

Mine have dropped production because of the heat and extreme storms that have been keeping it dark.
 
Last edited:
You think so? I hear of other people that get 4 eggs a day and I'm jealous! lol! I now have 4 more hens but they are younger so I'm waiting for them to lay in a few months.
 
I have once in the last 4 years (since keeping records) gotten one egg from every layer- that was 28 eggs... right now I'm getting about 8-18 (average closer to 12).

Some are too old, some are too young, some are broody... some are too hot, some are 'lazy' and the ducks have quit for the year (after Beryl came through)
 
Last edited:
I Agree, they're all laying but probably all on a different schedule. I had nine layers, once in a blue moon I get 9 eggs in one day. With 9 girls I was usually getting 6-7 everyday, some of my girls are everyday layers some are every other day. Every bird is different even within the same breed.

If your trying to narrow out whose laying more often you could go get a box of food coloring with the 4 colors place a couple drops in the vent of each bird. When they lay there will be a ring for a few eggs that way you can know who is laying on what days who is not.

Make sure they're getting enough light. I too lived in Georgia even though I'm from California, so that shouldn't be a problem. Make sure they're getting enough vitamins, minerals, calcium and such. Make sure they aren't stressed or molting, no parasite problems all which could slow your laying process down. I have a nearly 4 year old hen, shes always laid every other day. Still does lay a Large egg every other day, sometimes I'll get one every day,just varies.
 
Thank you so much! I don't want to get rid of any of them, just aggravates my husband that we aren't getting more eggs. But I told him soon we will when the other hens start laying. We put a light in the coop when the days get shorter, but right now they are just getting natural light since it is so abundant these days. Some have said maybe it's the new chicks causing them not to lay, but their laying habits were the same before the chicks so I don't think that's it. I'm pretty sure I couldn't get close enough for the food coloring, but good idea anyway! lol! We've figured out 2 that are for sure laying. We have one that is usually in the box that is missing some back feathers, thanks to Big Red. The other has a weird feather pattern on the back of her hair, almost like a hairdo! lol! Yesterday she was laying an egg under the woodbox out back, which she does on occasion. I actually SAW the egg come out!!! First time that has happened. So we know "Baldy" and "Swoosh" are laying. The other 2 I can't tell apart.
 
I don't know how well BO's are suppose to lay. I have 2-3 hens that lay everyday for 12-14 days before taking a day off. Two are Easter Eggers, the other Rhode Island Red. I've had them over a year and they never took a break from laying. My other hens don't lay as well. I average 3-5 egg a day and some times 7 out of 8 hens. I have a hen that has never laid, we might cull her today or re-home her for free, she's a feather picker too, so she is not staying. I bought 3 more to replace her and we were not getting enough eggs ourselves.:/

I also have a hen who lays eggshell inside the egg whites, we are keeping her since we can feed her eggs back to the group for protein.

If all your hens slow in production, it could be a number of things such as heat, stress, not enough nutrients, or protein, ect....

Right now I have a broody hen sitting on fertile eggs. She is currently not laying either. I'm hoping to get another green layer out of that bunch and give the other chicks back to my neighbor once they hatch.
 
Yes, as I've said chickens are weird and fickle creatures. We in September made a new coop, a larger one from a metal shed. And for a few days those girls were cussing around with their legs crossed I swear. Our bantam Brahma Parmesan even went as far as chasing us around the yard and jumping to peck us to let her know how mad she was.

For the Dye trick you do it once they've gone on the roost. Also suggest scouring your yard, we have 3 broodies 2 hardcore sitting on eggs due to hatch any day and the other is just a bit like whatever but is sitting in the same nest with the other broody. So that makes me down three eggs. Then because broodies are in said nest boxes I purchased new ones, and guess what girls hate them, they've started laying in them a bit since I raised them from the ground with flower pots. Then we have a Polish who is just a mad woman, and lays in a dark Terra cotta flower part on the deck.

Our roo stresses the girls out from time to time with his hard mating a few bare backs in our flock. But as Nicole01 said could be many things. I changed my birds from layer feed to 17% all purpose because I have a mixed flock, the extra calcium in layer feed isn't good for the roo's or younger chicks so the 17% all purpose has none. Then I also add to their all purpose a 75lb bag of Game bird supreme which has Calf-manna in it and surprisingly the only time we get a weak egg is from a new layer. Our shells are like rocks I swear.

So, check everything you can, calcium,protein,molting. Try giving them some canned or dried cat food to up the protein maybe if they're being mounted by the roo their slowing down because they're growing feathers back as well. Parasites, worming all of that could just be they're stressed, and some just don't lay well as stated before.

Hopefully it all helps.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom