Chickens on Strike

[BubbaLikesIt]

We have 14 chickens all about 18 months old. They have laid like machines since a year ago. We would get 9 to 12 eggs per day like clockwork. The chickens started molting around July and since then only 8 have molted and 6 have not. The 6 probably will not molt or very little since they are bred egg layers. Egg production drops during the molt and we expect that but this year it has dropped below the point of just a normal molt. Even the chickens that aren't molting and the ones that are well past their molt are not laying very well. We get 3 or 4 eggs per day. If I hear this is El Niño or something like that, it would be the first time I have ever seen it.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

There is nothing unusual or unexpected about you production drop at 18 months of age. Workout artificial stimulus (lighting) you will likely not see it pick up until spring. Even production bred birds molt, commercial houses force extreme molt to speed return to production.