Chickens not laying eggs?

[Jesusfreakmir12]

For probably 3+ months now my chickens have not laid a single egg. I give them layer feed that's in a feeder, have a light in their coop, check their water constantly, and I check on them almost every hour. Plus they have nest boxes. They don't show any signs a sickness or molting. What could possibly be wrong? They are all under 2 years. It's so confusing!

 

[countrygoddess]

What breed are they? Some dual purpose breeds don't do well during the winter months despite our best efforts to encourage it. Also, how many hours of light are they getting?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

It's probably just the cooler weather and shorter days, even though you have a light available. There's just something they like about warmer weather and natural light to get them really laying eggs.

Is there any possibility they could be laying and something eating them before you can collect them? If you pick them up, a laying hen's vent should be warm, wet, soft, and about the size of a silver dollar coin. The space between her pubis bones could be about a hand's width apart. A non-laying hen's vent will be drier and smaller in diameter and her pubis bones closer together.

 

[countrygoddess]

In agreement with GreenFamilyFarms. However, in my experience, about two finger-widths apart for pubic bones is about average for laying girls. But maybe it depends on hand-size. Mostly, I just didn't want you, JesusFreak, to worry if your girls' pubic bones never opened to a hand-width. And to add to the vent info, a laying pullet/hen's vent opening will look like a horizontal line. A non-laying vent is puckered.

 

[countrygoddess]

Oh, also, I was going to say... Is there any place they could be hiding the eggs? I thought my girls weren't laying, but then I found a clutch of frozen eggs UNDER the nesting boxes, which are about 4 inches off the ground. They were squeezing under there to lay!

 

[Jesusfreakmir12]

I have 2 Barred Rocks and 1 Australorp + an Ancona rooster. I turn the light on at 3 am then turn off at 8 am.

 

[countrygoddess]

You've got dual purpose birds that are said to be above average layers and they've got a long enough day. So either they just don't feel like laying right now (it's hormonal, of course) or they're hiding them somewhere.

 

[vjreilly]

I have 4 chickens and they are all about the same age, all hatched about 2 years ago. One is a black 2 are RIR's, 1 is a cross between a black Austrolorp and a Buff Orpington and one is a Buff Orpington. I get 2 eggs most days, some days 0 eggs and one day about a month ago I got 3 eggs. i don't know who is laying and who isn't. I live in WA state it is now April, light from 5AM to about 8PM and still a bit cold, but they were hatched here. Last year everyone laid eggs. They get good feed, good greens, fresh water, a good chicken coop and a silly coo coo moran rooster who they seem to love. What is their problem?

 

[countrygoddess]

In my experience, my hens' laying declines noticeably starting about 2 years old. It could be that is all it is. It sounds like everything else is in place: day length, good food and adequate protein, etc. My guess is that you are just dealing with 2 year old chickens...