Chickens stopped laying. Why? Need advice please?

[Skyleen13]

So last week we got hit by a snowstorm. Before hand my 13 gals had been laying about 8 eggs a day. Now they’ve completely stopped. Only getting 1 a day. How can I help them restart laying again? The snow is now completely gone. No more freezing temperatures either. I can’t run electricity out there for a light. I’m giving lots of extra protein & shells to help them out but so far no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CluckerFamily]

If they aren't molting and the reduced daylight hasn't stopped them laying, then I would say stress may be the culprit. Were they cooped up or did they come out into the snow?

 

[Alaskan]

So last week we got hit by a snowstorm.

A sudden drop in temperature is a prime culprit in stopping egg production.

It might take your girls 2 to 3 weeks to start back up.

However, since it is spring, no electric lights are needed.

Just a bit of patience. And you might be lucky, and they will start up way sooner.

 

[Skyleen13]

If they aren't molting and the reduced daylight hasn't stopped them laying, then I would say stress may be the culprit. Were they cooped up or did they come out into the snow?

They had access to their run the whole time. It’s a 50’x50’ square run. It was covered in over a foot of snow though. Some of them ventured out but they hated it. I made sure to give them lots of cracked corn to keep them warm.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My suggestion is patience. I can't think of anything reasonable you can do that is likely to help more than that. If they were laying that well before the storm then what you were doing was working. Personally I would not even change their diet.

That storm was hard on a lot of people and animals. Severe weather can stop them laying, usually temporarily if it doesn't trigger a molt. Did they maybe go without water for a period because water froze? That snow could have upset them. Give them a chance to return to normal.

 

[Skyleen13]

My suggestion is patience. I can't think of anything reasonable you can do that is likely to help more than that. If they were laying that well before the storm then what you were doing was working. Personally I would not even change their diet.

That storm was hard on a lot of people and animals. Severe weather can stop them laying, usually temporarily if it doesn't trigger a molt. Did they maybe go without water for a period because water froze? That snow could have upset them. Give them a chance to return to normal.

Thank you. We made sure they had water that wasn’t frozen but they just didn’t want to really come out of the coops. When they did they seemed to regret it & hopped up onto the low tree branches almost immediately after leaving the coop.