Anyone noticing an unusually poor November egg production?

[MakNugget]

Sounds like a lot of moulting chickens!

My three <1 yo girls are giving me 2.57 eggs per day. I imagine the same time next year I'll be suffering the same fate as everyone else

 

[LarrySC]

I sure don't understand why so many are having such low percentages; We have 8 hens; yesterday we got 8, today we got 7. We are in SC, and we are getting less than 11 hours of sunlight; and we have not added any light. Ours have not slacked off one bit; we average almost 7 eggs every day; have since august. We have 5 Amberlinks; 2 BO's and 1 Wynd. We feed ours laying mash, and also give them scratch, and white bread everyday as a treat.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Yeah I have pullets laying that I thought wouldn't start until December(Marans) most pens I'm getting eggs from everybody everyday sometimes they have a slow day but only once every two weeks or so and they are pullets and some are doing a partial molt (hatched in March) I have way too many eggs have pullets sold just need to get my friends to pick them up...I'll like having 2 doz less eggs a day....

 

[sheila3935]

yeah I dont understand whats going on either my girls are giving me and avarage of 7 eggs a day I have 8 laying maybe 9 not sure if my BR is laying or not. havent caught her in the nest yet. alot of days i am still getting 8 for 8. I dont give them light.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

I am still close to peak production. September and October was 5/6 to 6/6. November has been 4/6 to 5/6 due to a broody hen (cured).

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I had hoped there would be some 'old-timers' chip in on this! I have only been keeping chickens since July last yr.. And not really sure what to expect. I see some are going to cull their girls for not laying and they are only a yr old--seems so young..

I know tons of things affect the laying process but not sure what to expect or what is NORMAL (if there is a normal) for my chickens--haven't been keeping them long enough to really give you an answer!

I have five 18month old hens and I am only getting 2 eggs a day. Two are in full molt and one is starting to molt! I have two FBCM that are 26weeks old and have not started to lay. I also have four 20week old true Ameraucanas and no eggs yet!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Now to be clear November is typically the worst month for production, for me anyway. Short days, first cool/cold weather and the older birds go into molt. It slowly begins to pick up in December and by the end of January they are rocking right along. The November slump is expected which is why I try to have new birds already in lay by the time November arrives.

This year even the new birds are lagging. Relative to previous years I should be gathering 24-28 eggs a day but lately it's been 15-20. I haven't changed their feed or management style and as we're in a drought it's for sure been sunny though with seasonally short days.

Scratching my head trying to figure out what is so different about this November compared to previous years.

 

[DanEP]

Maybe I'm just lucky but my 15 girls are giving me 11 for one day then 14 for the next 4 days. We rehomed a roo that kept attacking the mil last tuesday and had a hawk in the run the next day but didn't seem to bother the girls enough to effect laying. We have bo's from cackle.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Yep. I went from over 2 dozen eggs a day down to 6 if I'm lucky. Every bird is molting and looks awful. I couldn't give enough eggs away over the summer, now we barely have enough for us

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

I started my flock about 3 or 4 months ago, until mid-October I was getting an egg a day from 2 hens. Since then, we may get 1 egg every 3 days. Tara did just come out of a molt tho, so she may pick up again here shortly.

I've also added 2 blk sexlinks and 1 BO in the past week--- got 2 eggs from the sexlinks in that week.