CT BYCer's Hens Stopped Laying Already?!?!

[mrsgibber]

I have five pullets that have been laying since July however, two have ceased laying for the last two weeks. Plus one of my Comet's is continually laying thin shelled eggs that I am finding broken on the coop floor. My other Comet also seems to be taking to laying on the coop floor.

Is this all a result of the shorter days? I'm wondering if the Comets are laying on the floor (I think from the roost) because it's dark when they lay (usually eggs already out there by 6:30 am) and can't find their nest boxes.

My BSL is still going strong and lays later in the morning so I'm at least getting one good egg a day...but come on!!!

I'm getting some oyster shells for them today but I don't have power in their small coop so I don't know what to do about adding light in the early morning.

Any suggestions??????

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

My comet is laying thin eggs too... she has access to everything the other birds do, and oyster shell too.. what is the deal?

 

[mrsgibber]

I don't know but she has been having problems almost from the time she started laying. Some shelless eggs, some very thin shells. She too is eating the same thing all the others do and their eggs are just fine. Very frustrating!!

 

[wateboe]

Are your girls molting? All of mine molted together early last fall and their egg production dropped suddenly.

We have power in our barn but I opted not to provide extra light last winter. We get more eggs than we need anyway, so I let the girls take that nature-induced break just to see how it would affect them. We may light them this year, so it will interesting to see what difference it makes.

As for the soft eggs, I did have an elderly hen who laid them regularly and nothing that we did seemed to help. I wonder if a molt could cause this kind of probelm as well? I am sure that other helpful folks will share more info with you about this!

 

[mrsgibber]

Well if they are molting then I can't tell. They all seem to be fully feathered and I'm not finding feathers anywhere.

 

[WitksChicks]

Hey, don't tell me that I'm not going to get any eggs! I have 6 chickens all are going to be 22 weeks on 9/16/09. I have 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Silver Lace Wyandottes and 2 Black Star. All are happy and healthy, but I haven't gotten a single egg.

 

[mrsgibber]

I bet you will definitely get some from your Black Star. Mine is laying wonderfully. So is my Red Star (aka golden comet). Not sure about the others but it is getting dark so early that my girls are in the coop by 7:00 and I don't have artificial light in there yet.

 

[WitksChicks]

I'm over in Bristol, CT so we're getting the same amount of daylight. I'm a newbie to chickens, and I do have electricity that I can run out to the coop, (when I built it I wired for lights). Should I start extending their daylight? and if so, do I add to the morning or night? How much time?

According to the hatchery where we purchased them from, they should be laying between 20 - 22 weeks. Does that sound right? I still have them on grower pellets, but I'm almost at the end of that bag. I have a bag of layer pellets waiting, would I be ok to switch when the grower is gone, even if they aren't laying yet?

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Could you use those little solar lights like for pathways? They don't provide much light but a few of them might be just enough for them to find the nest boxes. However I think they stop laying due to amount of daylight or lack of daylight but the solar lights might help you floor-layers find their way. I sure hope my girls give me a few eggs before fall/winter set in, I'm with the pp, I haven't had one egg yet from my 8 chickens. grrr

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
20 - 22 weeks is right although my EE started more like 24 weeks. I am looking to provide my girls light from 5 am until they are out of the coop at about 7 am then again from 6:30 - 8 pm.

I would switch them to layer pellets when the grower is gone. They'll do just fine.