Chickens Aren’t Laying, Roosters Aren’t Jumping

[Littlebear123]

So I’ve got a tricky situation that I’ve never heard of. We’ve had chickens for about 3 years and have dealt with all kinds of situations with them.

Starting 2 months ago our chickens just stopped laying eggs. At first we thought they were molting but they just finished going through that and this time our roosters stopped jumping the hens and they almost never crow anymore. If it weren’t for our ducks we’d be back to store bought eggs.

I have no idea what is happening with our chickens. Any and all tips or answers will be taken as we just want to know what the heck is happening.

 

[ValerieJ]

My chickens aren't laying much either. The days are shorter. Young pullets will lay through the first winter and even sometimes the second, although they will lay fewer the second year. By the 3rd year they are ready to take the shorter winter days off. You can artificially stimulate more eggs by supplementing light in the mornings. Starting off slowly, adding 20 - 30 min of light for a few days and then increasing it slowly will get them laying again. They need 12+ hours of light to want to lay. Add the light at the beginning of the day and not the end. You want dusk to give them time to go in. It would be scary for them to have everything go suddenly dark at night.

Good luck! And Welcome to BYC!

 

[aart]

Starting 2 months ago our chickens just stopped laying eggs. At first we thought they were molting but they just finished going through that and this time our roosters stopped jumping the hens and they almost never crow anymore.

Molting(some molt slower than others.) and/or shorter days....'good' cock/erels don't mount hens/pullets that are not laying.
I have 12 hens and 2 pullets and get 0-1 eggs a day lately...cockbird is still crowing, and mounting a few, tho.

Oh, and Welcome to BYC! @Littlebear123
Where in this world are you located?
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[50-45-1]

not sure where you are located, but temperature and location can make a difference. Chickens naturally slow down egg production when the temperatures go down.
also are all your chickens the same age? 3 year old hens do decrease egg production. some folks add a couple new pullets each year so there egg supply is more regular. of course this may require you to re-home or cull a couple of your older hens for this to work with the space you have available.
i see you are a new member!
Welcome to the Backyard, Glad you joined us!

 

[Littlebear123]

I am located in the middle of Mississippi. I have about 50 hens of all different ages and breeds. I also have about 20 bantam hens and they aren’t laying either. We haven’t gotten a single egg in 2 months.

 

[50-45-1]

i would guess that if your chickens are free range that they may be laying the eggs out in the bush where you can not find them.
or
if they are confined, that you may have some egg eating hens.
is there any sign of egg Mess in the nest boxes?

 

[Littlebear123]

i would guess that if your chickens are free range that they may be laying the eggs out in the bush where you can not find them.
or
if they are confined, that you may have some egg eating hens.
is there any sign of egg Mess in the nest

We’ve looked in every nook and cranny of our yard. I even go out with my dog multiple times a day and she goes in all the bushes looking for eggs. Our hens don’t even sit in our boxes and then don’t ever make their egg laying noises anymore.

 

[50-45-1]

well that is wierd, my laying hens are older, most over 4 years. half are still molting.
i have a dozen hens, it is cold here in michigan and we just got 10 inches of snow yesterday and another 14 inches today, and i just went out and did chores and collected 4 eggs.
do you have any golf balls or fake eggs in your nest boxes? it will help the hens to know where to lay eggs. also it can discourage egg eating as the fake ones dont yield a tasty treet.
Does the dog maybe eat the eggs when you are not looking? still that would not answer no egg song.
what are you feeding?
im just trying to figure this out....

 

[aart]

Time for some exams maybe:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then....
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Littlebear123]

well that is wierd, my laying hens are older, most over 4 years. half are still molting.
i have a dozen hens, it is cold here in michigan and we just got 10 inches of snow yesterday and another 14 inches today, and i just went out and did chores and collected 4 eggs.
do you have any golf balls or fake eggs in your nest boxes? it will help the hens to know where to lay eggs. also it can discourage egg eating as the fake ones dont yield a tasty treet.
Does the dog maybe eat the eggs when you are not looking? still that would not answer no egg song.
what are you feeding?
im just trying to figure this out....

We feed our chickens laying pellets, scratch grain, cracked corn, and rolled oats