Decrease in egg production

[Kfaucher]

I have 24 layers and one Rooster, all of them are 26 months old. I was getting at least 14 eggs a day and than for no reason it dropped to 2 or 3 eggs a day. We have a nice barn for them with plenty of time outside, they get their poultry layer and oyster shells. There are no signs of predators getting in plus we have 2 goats in with them and they all get along. This happened last year at the same time and lasted a good six months before they started laying again, we thought it was molting, but do they molt every year. Any idea's what we are doing wrong?

 

[Kiki]

I'm sorry you are not getting many eggs.

What breeds do you have?
What is your weather like?
What does their poop look like?
And...have you ever had their poop tested for worms?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm guessing you are in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case it's as certain as can be the molt. You can get molts for different reasons, but normally it's caused by the days getting shorter. Feathers wear out and need to be replaced. In the fall/winter when food was scarce, chickens developed the trait to quit laying eggs and use that nutrition to replace their feathers. That way they take the winter off form raising chicks when the weather is bad and refresh themselves and start laying eggs again in the spring when the days get longer. Pullets sometimes (but not always) skip the molt their first fall and continue laying but grown hens molt every year.

 

[Kfaucher]

I live in Minnesota and I have buff, road island reds and sexlink chickens plus one cute bantee. Their poop looks fine and they are all very active. This exact same thing happened last summer, maybe they don't like the heat compared to the winter. I don't know.

 

[aart]

with plenty of time outside

Time outside..... like free ranging?
My bet is they may be laying out in range area.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Aart, try to work out the timeline on this. I'm having trouble with that. Apparently in Minnesota they have chickens that stop laying for six months in the middle of the summer? Extreme heat can cause a drop in production but not for six months in Minnesota. That means they start laying again in the fall/winter and lay until the next summer? And they weren't sure of the molt. Something doesn't add up here.

I agree the main reason chickens start not laying other than the molt is that they are hiding a nest, but that is a huge drop to be caused by hidden nests. It's also possible that something could be getting the eggs. The critters that normally take eggs without leaving a trace are snakes, canines, and humans. If it is an everyday thing I discount a snake, they tend to come every two or three days not every day, plus that's just too many eggs for a snake to eat. If they have access, and with them free ranging the coop door is sometimes open, I could see a dog for sure. Coyotes or foxes are possible but I'd expect them to take a chicken. A human can open and close the door themselves.

I just don't have any good suggestions here.

 

[Kfaucher]

Thank you for your help, my guess is they don't like the heat, they have a nice big space to be outside (it's fenced) and we have checked every inch for nests. The barn is big and they have plenty of room inside. I will limit the treats I give them so they eat their poultry layer and oyster shells.

 

[Melschen]

I'm having the same trouble. We have 18 laying hens and were getting 12-14 eggs a day. Suddenly last week it dropped to 7-9 eggs a day. I can't figure it out unless it's the crazy heat. We're in Florida and the heat and humidity are high right now. They have access to shade and plenty of water all day. They're also in a very secure run. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My productivity drops when the weather is extremely hot or extremely cold. It doesn't totally stop but it temporarily drops.