Birds not laying often enough.

[cmom]

I live in Florida and the only birds that are laying well for me are my Leghorns. I get a few other eggs, maybe one egg from a coop or two, a couple from that coop and maybe another coop. Nothing to brag about. As soon as we had our first cold snap it was like someone turned off a light switch in the laying department except for the Leghorns. I do sell eggs and I've had to put my sold out sign out a few times.

 

[aart]

1 to 2 years is what I was told. Thanks for replying.

Typical for older birds not to lay when the days are so short. They may be or have been molting too.

I live in Florida as well. This is happening because of the heat. It causes them to stop laying. :/ They'll most likely go back to normal when the weather gets cooler.

More day length than heat.
How hot is it in October?

 

[cmom]

I live in Florida as well. This is happening because of the heat. It causes them to stop laying. :/ They'll most likely go back to normal when the weather gets cooler.

Where are you in Florida? Here near Ocala it was hot upper 80's/lower 90's for much of October. Usually we get some cooler weather around the middle of the month, but hot weather lingered this year. This week it's going to be in the 50's daytime and 30's at night, below average. It must be climate change. I always get eggs from the Leghorns. The other birds are right now hit and miss. I have a lot of birds so I always get some eggs.

 

[Hidrainja4]

Common issues are they are going into molt. Mine do that in September but I am in Ohio.
Parasites? Maybe DE is a chicken keepers friend.
Lighting. the first year the hens are not affected by shortening days but after ten months of age most breeds shut down when the days get shorter. Add Light some breeds will lay all winter long however with a 70% reduction in production.
Any changes in their little chicken lives will stop production for two weeks. add something to the coop, more chickens or paint something they will quit laying.

 

[aart]

Maybe DE is a chicken keepers friend.

It's not, especially if birds have lice and/or mites.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Chickens need about 16 hours of (day)light daily for optimal egg production. Currently in Orlando, Florida (chose that city as it's about in the middle of the state) is getting just under 10 1/2 hours daily. This, in conjunction with chickens needing 26 hours to produce one egg (each), will give you some days where it seems as if one or two of your hens will 'skip' a day. Sadly, they're not on a 24 hour a day schedule. You mention that you're giving them treats, and I'm concerned that too many treats, or treats that reduce their overall protein intake can also adversely affect egg production and the quality of their eggs. Treats need to be kept at or under 10% of their overall diet, by weight, not volume. You didn't mention how much protein is in their regular feed, nor if they're eating chick feed, all flock, or layer feed. My recommendation is 'all flock' with oyster or calcium (often ground egg shell) on the side to be consumed when desired. Protein is the expensive component of their feed, and all flock tends to have a higher percentage of protein. Most feed stores charge about the same for various grades of feed for your flock, so buying all flock feed and calcium supplement of your choice comes out cheaper pound for pound and nutritionally for your birds. I agree with a previous poster that four months is awfully young for your girls to start producing eggs, and wonder if you have "Production Red" hens instead of "Rhode Island Red". They pretty much LOOK the same, but production reds typically start laying earlier in their life, lay prolifically for a year or two, and typically succumb to one form of reproductive disorder or another before the age of three. That's not to say that all "Production Reds" suffer this fate, on this time schedule, but it's been my experience with them.
If expanding your flock to produce more eggs is not an option for you, you may consider storing their unwashed eggs in the refrigerator once their production picks up again in the Spring, as the eggs keep for several months this way. Your girls may produce enough to carry you through next winter.

 

[cmom]

It's not, especially if birds have lice and/or mites.

I agree.

 

[cmom]

If they are hatchery stock, more than likely they are Production Reds. Some hatcheries do sell what they call Rhode Island Reds and some sell what they call heritage reds. Most hatcheries flock breed. They do not selective breed. One example.

 

[Ila88]

They slow down in fall and winter because of lower light. We are much further north so not many hours of light now. We're only getting 2 eggs from 12 hens, but experience tells me it will pick up around Christmas.

 

[ariri30]

Hi I haven’t been on here for awhile, but it’s so good to see this forum flourishing. In April or May we bought four young hens from our local feed store. Two Wyandotte’s and 2 Easter Eggers, that lay very hard shell pale bluish to greenish eggs. They all seem healthy and happy. All summer we were swimming in eggs. In September they started molting one after another. I offered higher protein pellets along with mixed cracked corn and reg laying pellets to help the feather regrowth. Eggs began to dwindle. Down to one egg every three days. Usually greenish blue. Finally all laying stopped about October 6th. We have a lot of shade. Not deep shade, but we live in a forest of redwood and pine. We live in the great northwest and tall trees mean that this time of year when the sun is low in the sky we have a lot of shade, and the chicken’s yard right now only gets a splash of actual sunlight for maybe an hour or so a day. I know chickens need sunlight to lay. I’ve read on here about molting so I kind of knew what to expect. But I’m wondering how long this non-laying period will go on. Any ideas? Thanks everyone!! I learn so much from reading your posts in all kinds of topics.

Two of my pullets stopped laying around October because of molting and one pullet that was 7 months old started laying so I was getting maybe 3 eggs a week from her. Yesterday I found three eggs in the nesting box. I don’t add light so I’m expecting to have just a few eggs a week. I have two BO and one BR. I know all the bantams won’t lay till spring probably