Auracanas not laying

[2dancingrats]

Stopped laying completely when they started to molt. Its' been at least 6 weeks since any of them laid an egg. They seem to have all of their re-feathering done. Is this normal? How long will they go without laying? They were one year old this April.

 

[newchicksnducks]

I have no answer for you, but I know misery loves company...

My girls are 18+ months old and going through a molt. Out of 14 girls, we get 2-3 eggs now, down from 11 or so

I'm turning away the couple of customers I have, and even had to buy my first eggs in over a year! I decided since they were laying so little now, it was the perfect time to de-worm them. Hopefully they'll be back on their game soon...I figure the eggs will be good to eat again on Thanksgiving

One good thing w/this molt - I had 4 birds that lost feathers on their backs in the spring and never regrew them over the summer. One chicken "expert" said it was possible they might never grow back! Well, new feathers are appearing

I was afraid I'd have frost bit birds!

 

[2dancingrats]

Mine were pretty threadbare too. I blamed it on the extra roo. We got rid of him, but they still didn't feather-up until the molt. Don't know if you have any Auracanas, but mine grew darker feathers after the molt. Let me know if your girls start laying again. My RIR's didn't even slow down on laying during their molt. Hmmmm.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Days are getting colder and shorter = Hens produce less eggs
If you want your hens to lay more, add a heat lamp to their coop to increase the day-light hours.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Last year I had 2 hens molt and they didn't lay again for 3 1/2 months. But on the plus side, when they did start laying again, the eggs were bigger.

 

[2dancingrats]

Good to hear they should start up again. Compared to my RIRs and browns, they never were reliable layers. I do love the color of their eggs though.