Breed laying rate questions

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Black Austalorp are officially on my McMurray wish list

 

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Out of curiosity, could the introduction of a new rooster be enough disruption to cause the hens to stop laying?

We have a total of 13 hens currently around the roo, 15 if you count the two hens with chicks that roost elsewhere with their littles, but range in the same areas throughout the day. Our previous rooster we had to cull due to aggression and introdced this new one about 2 weeks ago (after quarantining). I ask because it has been the last 10 days that I have noticed a sharp decrease in brown eggs with none for the last 5 days. The 8 leghorns are still of course laying faithfully, just the RIR and barr rocks who have stopped completely. I got out the hens in question this evening just to do a mini exam to make sure I wasn't missing something and other than a few minor dinglberries (which I trimmed-vent gleet was a concern, but no real evidence otherwise) everyone seemed good. I did run a fecal float on a sample at work today (vet tech) and did not appreciate any parasites or coccidia.

I am mainly just concerned that I don't miss something and end up with an even bigger mess, but I am still a newbie at all of this! Thanks in advance!

 

[Michael OShay]

Out of curiosity, could the introduction of a new rooster be enough disruption to cause the hens to stop laying?

The introduction of a new rooster can definitely disrupt the hens laying. Roosters can be stressful on hens, especially roosters that the hens are unfamiliar with or that are aggressive. It may be that your new rooster is focusing his mating efforts on your RIR and Barred Rock hens, and pretty much leaving the Leghorns alone. Roosters will sometimes pursue certain hens in the flock while completely ignoring others. Having raised chickens for the past 50 years, and having done meticulous egg counts during that period of time, I've observed that my hens almost always lay better without a rooster around; although when they've grown up with a gentle rooster, the impact has been minimal. I currently have 25 hens and no roosters in my flock, and I get loads of eggs without all the aggression, fights, biting and feather plucking, feeding of non-productive mouths, crowing in the middle of the night, and over-breeding and battering of hens that frequently goes along with having roosters (especially too many or aggressive ones). My hens are stress free and enjoying life without a rooster around. Hopefully your rooster is gentle, and as your hens become more familiar with him, their laying will pick up again. Good luck.

 

[gjensen]

Out of curiosity, could the introduction of a new rooster be enough disruption to cause the hens to stop laying?

We have a total of 13 hens currently around the roo, 15 if you count the two hens with chicks that roost elsewhere with their littles, but range in the same areas throughout the day. Our previous rooster we had to cull due to aggression and introdced this new one about 2 weeks ago (after quarantining). I ask because it has been the last 10 days that I have noticed a sharp decrease in brown eggs with none for the last 5 days. The 8 leghorns are still of course laying faithfully, just the RIR and barr rocks who have stopped completely. I got out the hens in question this evening just to do a mini exam to make sure I wasn't missing something and other than a few minor dinglberries (which I trimmed-vent gleet was a concern, but no real evidence otherwise) everyone seemed good. I did run a fecal float on a sample at work today (vet tech) and did not appreciate any parasites or coccidia.

I am mainly just concerned that I don't miss something and end up with an even bigger mess, but I am still a newbie at all of this! Thanks in advance!

Yes. Chickens do not like change. Any change in their routine or social structure can disrupt their laying. The time of year may complicate matters more. Otherwise they will settle in and adjust to the new order. Two weeks is a reasonable "guestimate" on how long it would take for things to normalize.

 

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The previous rooster was very aggressive at breeding the hens (a more correct statement might be that he was aggressive about everything in life). The only time he would stop chasing them was to eat and take a dust bath. This new one I have seen breed one hen in the almost 2 weeks he has been turned out with them. He is very docile compare to our first! Hopefully that means they will adjust faster, but glad to have a reason for the lay off that does not require treatment!