Chickens quit laying

[oldcoop]

I have 28 chickens and they have stopped laying. They will be 1 year old in feb 28th. They have gone from 12 eggs a day to 0. Sometimes there will be 1 or 2. Is it just because of shorter days?

 

[Leihamarie]

I have 28 chickens and they have stopped laying. They will be 1 year old in feb 28th. They have gone from 12 eggs a day to 0. Sometimes there will be 1 or 2. Is it just because of shorter days?

It very well could be and probably is. They're too young to be going through a molt but there might be some other reasons for it:

-Are they under any stress that you may (or may not) be aware of like a predator coming at night trying to get in? Stress of a night-time predator or some other stimuli could cause them to go off laying.

-What are they eating and how much?

- How much water have they been drinking? Is it fresh and plentiful?

- Have they shown any symptoms of ill health?

 

[oldcoop]

I don't think there is a predator. They are eating layer pellets. The water is ok. It has been freezing and we have to take them water a couple times a day. They seem to be ok. They haven't come out of the coop since it has been cold the past week. It is going to warm up some and they will probably want to come out again.

 

[JanetMarie]

Most chickens slow down or stop laying during the winter because of the colder temps. and decreased daylight. You could turn on their light for a few hours before daylight, but turn the light off before roost time at night.

You could also just let them have a break from laying until spring.

 

[Soula]

I have 24 hens around 18 months old. Most of them are moulting, only the white leghorns are still loyally laying eggs. The eggs decreased since November, and we only got 2~4 eggs each day in December, got 0 egg once. I guess this is normal in the winter unless we give them artificial lights, but I am afraid it will stress them too much since they have to fight the cold and under moulting.

 

[JanetMarie]

I have 24 hens around 18 months old. Most of them are moulting, only the white leghorns are still loyally laying eggs. The eggs decreased since November, and we only got 2~4 eggs each day in December, got 0 egg once. I guess this is normal in the winter unless we give them artificial lights, but I am afraid it will stress them too much since they have to fight the cold and under moulting.

Since they're molting artificial lights would not make them lay anyway, because when chickens molt all the energy goes to that, and egg laying stops.