Chickens stopped laying eggs?

[leinweber213]

Hi.. This is my second year having chickens. For some reason 3 days ago they all stopped laying eggs. I am not sure why? We did have a duck that randomly died in the coop. We cleaned the whole coop and looked all the chickens over and they look fine. They are all acting normal. We even tried locking them in the coop to see if that would help cause they are free range chickens.. (It's a fenced in acre) but we have looked every where to see if they are laying anywhere else. Does anyone have any suggestions or no why they could have all stopped laying together?

 

[realsis]

Maybe the days are getting shorter daylight and they quit for the winter? Either that OR they became stressed after the cleaning of the pen after the duck incident? Sometimes they can get frightened and disrupted over the smallest thing.Give them a bit of time and they should resume as long as the daylight is long enough.

 

[leinweber213]

Daylight is long enough .. We never had a problem last year and they slowly started to stop like one chicken at a time when the season was changing. And they never minded the bedding change before because we do it every so often to keep it clean. The only thing I can think of is the duck. Cause they all stopped the day the duck died. And haven't since? Would anyone suggest making them stay in the coop til they lay or still letting them free range and give them time?

 

[CiceroXY]

Hi.. This is my second year having chickens. For some reason 3 days ago they all stopped laying eggs. I am not sure why? We did have a duck that randomly died in the coop. We cleaned the whole coop and looked all the chickens over and they look fine. They are all acting normal. We even tried locking them in the coop to see if that would help cause they are free range chickens.. (It's a fenced in acre) but we have looked every where to see if they are laying anywhere else. Does anyone have any suggestions or no why they could have all stopped laying together?

I'm having the same problem with my chickens. Here the weather is changing in these days because summer's almost gone and autumn is coming. In fact we have had a lot of rain these days and we have a little bit colder temperatures now. How is the weather there?

 

[Cindy in PA]

If you have the same chickens as last year, the light may be the problem. Pullets usually lay during the winter, older hens not so much. It's the lack of light & not the winter per say that makes them slow down so it starts now.

 

[CiceroXY]

If you have the same chickens as last year, the light may be the problem. Pullets usually lay during the winter, older hens not so much. It's the lack of light & not the winter per say that makes them slow down so it starts now.

Good to know.

What can be the solution if you do not want to resort to artificial light?

 

[leinweber213]

Here they have plenty of light all day. The yard is direct sunlight and they are out all day. Only 4 are from last year and the others are from this year so them all stopping together is really weord

 

[aart]

They are about 18 months old...yes?
If so, they may getting ready to molt and will stop laying to do so.

The absence of the duck and changing of the coop may have stressed them a bit.


Also if you confined them..for how long? Can take days for that to have an affect.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for 3-4 days (or longer) can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop 24/7 for a few days to a week, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Here they have plenty of light all day. The yard is direct sunlight and they are out all day. Only 4 are from last year and the others are from this year so them all stopping together is really weord

I don't know where "here" is but in SE PA where I am there is less than 13 hours of sunlight & chickens do best with 14-16 hours. Doesn't matter if they are out all day, the days are shorter & it makes a difference to many chickens.