Chickens not laying!!!

[ray6082]

Hi!

I have a group of girls that are almost 3 and then another that are almost 2. I live in Western PA and our winter has been MILD. I’m currently only getting one egg a day!! Sometimes not even that. I have never experienced this before. Is this normal/expected with winter/as they age? I’m only asking because a few weeks ago my one chicken laid a soft shelled egg with a strange mass in it. It did not resemble a lash egg because there was a normal yolk and everything in addition the mass. I just got freaked out that they all had something so they weren’t laying. Is it just normal, as started previously? Is there something I can add to their diet? Previous years I’ve given them more sunflower seeds…no clue if that helped with laying.

TY!

 

[sourland]

A lot depends on the breeds involved, but it is not at all unusual for birds that age to take a break in their laying cycle as the daylight period shortens. Many folks add a couple of pullets each year to assure winter production.

 

[cherrynberry]

Hi!

I have a group of girls that are almost 3 and then another that are almost 2. I live in Western PA and our winter has been MILD. I’m currently only getting one egg a day!! Sometimes not even that. I have never experienced this before. Is this normal/expected with winter/as they age? I’m only asking because a few weeks ago my one chicken laid a soft shelled egg with a strange mass in it. It did not resemble a lash egg because there was a normal yolk and everything in addition the mass. I just got freaked out that they all had something so they weren’t laying. Is it just normal, as started previously? Is there something I can add to their diet? Previous years I’ve given them more sunflower seeds…no clue if that helped with laying.

TY!

What do you currently feed? Are they molting? Its probably because of the decrease in daylight hours, their semi-older age, and maybe because of molting too. Some people like to provide artificial lighting to promote egg-laying, but I don't. If your birds are molting, it would be nearly impossible to get them to lay, even with artificial lighting. Chickens need to rest as well, so it is normal for their production to drop. Think of it like a vacation or break.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am not getting eggs either, but today the days are getting longer, we are that much closer to eggs. I expect my first egg somewhere around mid January.

Chickens tend to take the short dark days of December off. The older they are, the more time they take off. So each year, the spell with no eggs will get longer. Each year they lay less eggs, but often times a bit bigger eggs.

This is why, adding younger birds and letting older birds go out of the flock is of importance if you want a more consistent egg production. Or, often times, people add light. I don't have electricity to my coop, so I don't, but I think there is a trick to adding light, as to whether to add it in the morning, or how much.

Mrs K

 

[The Duck Dad]

some chickens slow their production with age. if you are getting soft shelled eggs, you might need to feed them a little more calcium- oyster shells, or egg shells.