Anyone had this experience??

[prinellie]

Last year I incubated some of my BO eggs (BO roo). Long story short, most of the hens hardly laid at all and soon quit altogether. I have healthy chickens; fed correctly, etc. Is this to be expected??

 

[MissChick@dee]

If I understand correctly you hatched some chicks. Some laid some did not. Then all did not lay. Right?
I don’t know where Your located but I’ll assume in the USA.
This sounds like you had young pullets some of which came into lay.
Then winter hit. It’s common for hens to stop laying in winter. It’s common for some breeds to wait until their first spring to lay (they mature slower).
I’d say be patient....this spring should be when your girls will begin to lay with some type of predictable schedule. Not sure if I answered what you were asking. Best wishes

 

[Gray Farms]

More info needed. Where are you located and age of your hens "in months". It could be weather related, molt, internal/external parasites.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

There are many reasons as to why Hens stop laying, here are some of the most common.

Daylight
Hens need a minimum of 16 hours of daylight to sustain good egg production.

Stress
If your chickens are stressed, egg production can suffer.
predators, over-crowding, aggressive hens, loud noises and poor nutrition can cause a lot of stress on your flock.

Molting
Hens will stop laying eggs when going through a molt. Do they look like they’re molting?

 

[prinellie]

I am located in Iowa and it was not related to winter/light. It's possible it could have been stress in one instance. I sold 15 week hens to two different people, and I kept some. Non-producers were in all three places. As a result the other two ladies gave up after almost a year of having them. And I am getting ready to cull mine. Could have been parasites; but not molt, not weather or light. Just seemed odd that they were in 3 different places and all were the same.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I am located in Iowa and it was not related to winter/light. It's possible it could have been stress in one instance. I sold 15 week hens to two different people, and I kept some. Non-producers were in all three places. As a result the other two ladies gave up after almost a year of having them. And I am getting ready to cull mine. Could have been parasites; but not molt, not weather or light. Just seemed odd that they were in 3 different places and all were the same.

Bizarre

 

[Gray Farms]

So they've not been laying for a year? All of them?

 

[prinellie]

So they've not been laying for a year? All of them?

I'm the only one who has them now, and if they lay at all it's very sparse... not like my other BO's

 

[prinellie]

Bizarre

That is what I thought...

 

[Gray Farms]

I'm the only one who has them now, and if they lay at all it's very sparse... not like my other BO's

That is very odd. Have you checked them for mites? Do they look good? By that I mean feathers in good shape? Combs and wattles nice and red? Legs smooth and no sign of mites? Do they seem to be in good weight? What are you feeding?