Chickens not laying eggs

[Lziga55]

Hi,
I incubated my chickens at home from mixed breeds. Where i got eggs from, chickens were laying quite a lot eggs daily. My chickens started laying eggs at 4-6months and 6 hens layed lets say 3 to 5 eggs daily for first 2 months. Soon, i added 1 older hen to their flock and after a few weeks they got along well. Now they are around 10 months old and hens lay only 2-3 eggs per day and one of those 2-3 eggs every day is from "old" hen (lohman brown hen - other egg colour) and 1 other hen lays 1 egg every day so other 5 hens dont lay at all or maybe 1 egg per week. What do you think could be wrong, because they started well and now for couple of months nothing. And summer ended couple of weeks ago.

I feed them with layer food, i buy concentrate and i mix it as it says on the bag with corn and oath.

They are nice and healthy hens, i let them out for 2 hours daily so they freerange, other thime they have enclosed space outside about 50sq. meters to spend a day there.

They have fresh water all day long and food too. And i give them vegetables from our garden every day.

I hope, that you can help me and give me any advice

 

[Lziga55]

 

[BDutch]

Some breeds lay more eggs than others for one thing.

The other is hours of daylight and cold. In general chickens lay fewer eggs when light hours decrease and many stop laying completely in winter.

Stress is another possibility. The period the new hen was introduced may have stopped the younger hens to produce. After a break it always takes a few weeks to start laying again.

Other factors: Moult, feed, parasites..

 

[Cwildmon]

Hi,
I incubated my chickens at home from mixed breeds. Where i got eggs from, chickens were laying quite a lot eggs daily. My chickens started laying eggs at 4-6months and 6 hens layed lets say 3 to 5 eggs daily for first 2 months. Soon, i added 1 older hen to their flock and after a few weeks they got along well. Now they are around 10 months old and hens lay only 2-3 eggs per day and one of those 2-3 eggs every day is from "old" hen (lohman brown hen - other egg colour) and 1 other hen lays 1 egg every day so other 5 hens dont lay at all or maybe 1 egg per week. What do you think could be wrong, because they started well and now for couple of months nothing. And summer ended couple of weeks ago.

I feed them with layer food, i buy concentrate and i mix it as it says on the bag with corn and oath.

They are nice and healthy hens, i let them out for 2 hours daily so they freerange, other thime they have enclosed space outside about 50sq. meters to spend a day there.

They have fresh water all day long and food too. And i give them vegetables from our garden every day.

I hope, that you can help me and give me any advice

Did they start laying? Mine have been off for 4 weeks

 

[PopoMyers]

Daylight hours, weather change, stress, molt will affect laying. It's about time for their fall winter break, slow down.

 

[eLiV8t]

I have also had same issue. For awhile now. I've come to assume they're eating them. I'm in Las Vegas and they stopped before it got cold.

 

[nuthatched]

I have also had same issue. For awhile now. I've come to assume they're eating them. I'm in Las Vegas and they stopped before it got cold.

It's winter, birds don't lay in winter.

 

[BDutch]

It's winter, birds don't lay in winter.

You shouldn’t say this like that without adding most.
Many chickens lay through winter their first year. Many chickens stop in autumn when they start to moult and have a following winter break. Some lay maybe 2 eggs a week in this period and only have a short winter break.

Older chickens and heritage breeds often have a longer break. The commercial type of laying hybrids often take short breaks but their body gets exhausted because they don’t recuperate well. These chickens die young. The more normal BYC breeds, heritage breeds and BY mixes often lay for many years and live 10 years or more.

 

[Mrs. K]

Laying is vague. Technically a bird laying 1-2 eggs per week, is laying, but not high production.

A lot of people immediately talk about diet, as in protein in = protein out - as in eggs. But if ones basic needs are being met, most animals will be reproductive. It is more genetics, age and light.

The amount of eggs is highly genetic, and at the commercial side, highly studied.

Basic facts of egg production if basic feed needs are being met:

• Laying is highly influenced by light. Many people encourage more production by adding more hours of light. Cold and heat are not the issue.
• Molting stops or severely reduces eggs being laid.
• Older birds stop laying for increasing periods of time, each year. They tend to lay larger eggs - but in my experience, the quality of the egg decreases. The whites are thinner and the yolks break more easily.
• Sometimes pullets will lay through the winter the first year - these pullets need to be laying before fall, so need to be hatched very early in the year. Pullets hatched later - often times won't lay until spring when the daylight increases.

Commercial production of eggs insures that people have eggs all year long, as many as needed. They control the light, age and breed of chickens to get that production. Back yard flocks, are always going to be more feast or famine type of production. Saving eggs when they are plentiful (water glassing and freezing, or drying) will make the few fresh eggs of winter go farther.

Most of us, having established flocks for years, have more than once bought eggs! My DH teases me dreadfully.

Mrs K

 

[BDutch]

I agree with most of the things you write, but not all. Or maybe as we say: “its not all that black and white. “

The amount of eggs is highly genetic, and at the commercial side, highly studied.

The amount in the first 2 years yes.
Not the total amount. Some people say the total amount is the same for heritage breeds as for laying hybrids. Because my 9 snd 10 yo Dutch have no problems with their ovary and are healthy, they still give me eggs. The 10yo not much, but one 9yo is still laying a few eggs each week in November.

Cold and heat are not the issue.

I have another experience with cold. When January has nice temperatures (5-10C), my bantams start to lay within a few weeks. If the weather is cold/bad (around 0C), they don’t start until march. Heath is never a real issue where I live.

Older birds stop laying for increasing periods of time, each year. They tend to lay larger eggs - but in my experience, the quality of the egg decreases. The whites are thinner and the yolks break more easily.

In my experience my old bantams still lay good eggs just like when they were young.

Sometimes pullets will lay through the winter the first year - these pullets need to be laying before fall, so need to be hatched very early in the year. Pullets hatched later - often times won't lay until spring when the daylight increases.

Many young pullets that started to lay their first egg in spring keep laying in their second winter.