Anyone else have Hens stop laying or very sporatic laying lately?????

[mommy25babies]

So frustrated feel like I'm doing everything right.. everyrhing I'm suppose to do.. good nutrition open roaming clean disease free hens and coop scraps.. and of 4 hens I get an egg a day if I'm lucky. From the same hen too.. all the other three are not laying. Sigh.

 

[Bunnylady]

Don't suppose your girls are molting, are they?

 

[chickgarden]

I have one that has gone down to laying about one huge egg a week. She used to lay almost daily. All my others are still laying.

 

[Messipaw]

When ever I have hens coming off of a "no lay" time.I wait a week or two then give them cayenne pepper in a scrambled egg mix. Within a day we get eggs. Lol lol can't explain why or how but it works. I found a link on this site. Good luck.

 

[azygous]

Where do you live? Are the days getting shorter? If so, your hens could very well be getting ready to molt for the next few months. During this period they will lose feathers, and grow new ones. They may stop laying altogether or seriously cut down on the number since their energy will be devoted to new feather growth.

 

[mommy25babies]

No all 6month pullets..in their prime. Maybe the heat??

 

[chattykathy306]

My hens have hardly been producing any eggs. I have 5 and got one egg today. One or two days I got none. The most has been 3-4 one or twice. This has been pretty much all summer. The temps here have fluctuated, so it isn't the heat. I really miss the green ones from my EE. They seem healthy and active, although one has survived being hit by a car and having her tail feathers taken out by a dog. I think she is still the one who laid the single egg today. Good girl! I did quit adding the ACV to the water, when I ran out of it and it is so far to go to get some more of the organic stuff. I have driven there since, but have gotten out of the habit of using it. Could this make such a difference? I almost don't want to keep them over the winter if they aren't going to be laying eggs. I am quite discouraged.

 

[donrae]

You say open roaming---sounds like hidden nests to me. Try confining them for a few days and see what happens.

 

[mommy25babies]

I'm happy to report four eggs daily.. not sure why the strike.. but I added a fan and chicken a/c (a closed container of ice) in coop at night and ever since.. daily eggs.. interesting...they all lay in same nesting box even though I have a few.

 

[tonkatuff1981]

My hens are young still, 25 wks and finally started laying got about three eggs each out of them, except one who still hasn't laid, before they just stopped. I also have two older (18mth) old hens who religiously each lay a day. Good food, plenty of water.
Wondering if the stress from finishing their hen house disturbed them that much. Its been 2 wks and only my older hens are laying???