I am so frustrated! All fall and winter my seven BCM hens laid up a storm - now suddenly (when I want to start hatching) they stopped. I get on the average of 1 egg every other day. My other chickens in the other hen houses all lay just fine. Just not the special hens I have raised to breed. Geez. I am hoping they are going through some kind of light molt or something (but they sure don't look like they are). They are well fed, young (not quite a year old yet) and secure (no predators lurking). I wonder if they are secretly plotting to foil my plans to sell their chicks. For chickens, this breed does seem to be pretty smart..... Actually, I have two roosters in with them and one rooster is not well liked - he is picked on by the other rooster. Can it be bad vibes from the picked on rooster interfering with their laying? I have considered moving him out, but I don't really know where to put him, the other roosters don't like him either, and I am sure he would just be so lonely alone. I actually thought of moving him and one hen to a separate pen, but that's kind of a crummy thing to do to the one hen. Maybe I am over thinking this?
Is there any way to have 3 hens with one rooster and 4 with the other? If it is stress, this may help. Mine suddenly slowed in early February and I started them on a supplement of Omega Egg (1 Tablespoon per feeding) to give them some extra vitamins and protein and threw in some treats for chickens from the Tractor Supply. My first hatch I was only able to set 13 eggs, but now I can set over 50. Hope this helps.
