Chickens not laying

[junebuggena]

Stop giving them layer feed entirely. It's not going to do anything other than pump a bunch of calcium into them. The calcium isn't being used, so it's just going to be building up in the kidneys.
Switch to a feed with at least 18% protein content. A laying hen can get all the calcium she needs via crushed oyster shell.

 

[Potatofire101]

Thank you for all the advice!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most breeds of chickens will lay right through their first winter. After that they'll molt every autumn and each year will take a winter break during and after molt. Each year the winter break will get longer and longer.
As others have said, this is perfectly normal.

I've posted the following information several times but here goes again.

It has nothing to do with temperature. However it is related to day length or, more accurately, whether days are getting shorter or lengthening.
It just happens to be cold when days are short in most climates.

Here's a brief rundown of the science.
Light exposure to the retina is first relayed to the nucleus of the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that coordinates biological clock signals. Fibers from there descend to the spinal cord and then project to the superior cervical ganglia, from which neurons ascend back to the pineal gland. The pineal gland translates signals from the nervous system into a hormonal signal.

When light periods are shorter, the gland produces serotonin and subsequently, melatonin. That's the hormone that affects the gonads for sperm production in males and ovulation in females. An increase in melatonin causes the gonads to become inactive. This also causes combs and wattles to pale and shrink.
Photoperiod, in relation to day vs. night, is the most important clue for animals to determine season. And by extension, when to reproduce.
Cold really has very little to do with egg production. The same thing happens whether it is a cold or warm climate.
As light lengthens, the gonads are rejuvenated. The duration of melatonin secretion each day is directly proportional to the length of the night because of the pineal gland's ability to measure daylength. Besides reproduction, it also affects sleep timing and blood pressure regulation.
So as the light period increases, in relation to the dark period, it stimulates reproduction, the growing and reddening of combs/wattles - voila - EGGS.

I agree with most of what you have said, except the part about cold not affecting production. Here it definitely affects it. My hen will stop laying when temperatures drop down into the -teens to -20's. They divert energy to keeping warm. They will lay at temperatures above that but most will stop when it gets too cold here. They resume when the temperature rises.

It may be different further south as it doesn't get as cold where you are at.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with that. There is a point when low temperatures provide enough stress to stop ovulation but for most climates and most breeds it doesn't.
Occasionally it can get below -10 F and once it hit -19 at my house.
I spent an entire winter putting daily egg production into a spreadsheet from 7 flocks of birds along with daily high and low temperatures as well as precipitation. There was no correlation between temperature and production. Once days started getting longer, they laid regardless of temperature.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree with that. There is a point when low temperatures provide enough stress to stop ovulation but for most climates and most breeds it doesn't.
Occasionally it can get below -10 F and once it hit -19 at my house.
I spent an entire winter putting daily egg production into a spreadsheet from 7 flocks of birds along with daily high and low temperatures as well as precipitation. There was no correlation between temperature and production. Once days started getting longer, they laid regardless of temperature.

I don't see the drop in production right away, it takes a few days of cold temperatures to see it, after the pause in laying will take a week or two after a temperature increase to get them going again. Some don't lay at all here during the winter.

I always assumed everyone had the same stuff going on with their chickens like I did, but I've learned from this site that people experience different things based on their location and climate. So my experiences will often be different than people in a different part of the country. I can't even comment on Canadians, that's even colder than here.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So true. As the saying goes, 'your mileage may vary'.
What works for one, definitely may not be the best advice for others.
I've been involved with poultry and exotic birds from the Midwest to nearing the equator. Even though they are all Gallus Gallus Domesticus, everywhere requires different management. Many around the world don't have the feeds available that we have. They don't have the predators we have. Climatic conditions are a big factor.

 

[HanBrand]

True Araucana are not known to be outstanding layers. If they are actually Easter Eggers, then a higher protein diet than layer feed typically offers is needed for them to mature and start laying in a timely manner. Sexlinks also typically need a higher protein diet.

I got my Araucana in April she must be 7 to 8 months old by now. I haven't had an egg from her yet. My rhode island started laying earlier than I thought, especially as she is such a big bird! What age do Araucana's start to lay? Do I have to increase her protein?