Do 1 or 2 broody hens cause the other hens to stop laying?

[DeniseVasecka]

I have 12 hens, mostly cochin hens, some silkies, and a bantam light brama. I also have a little rooster (Squirt!) that does a fine job watching out for and taking care of his harem! I have a couple hens that are really broody - ie: they would live on eggs forever, if I let them! My problem is that I am only getting one egg a day! Do my broody hens cause the other girls to stop laying? There has been a production of 6-8 eggs a day for a while, and suddenly it's 1 or 2 a day! They refuse to tell me what is happening...secrets are kept well!!! ;-)

Thanks for any help in understanding my sweet kids!

 

[Bunnylady]

A lot of chicken breeds vary their egg production depending on the season of the year. Bantam Cochins are seasonal layers - they lay mostly during the spring and early summer, then start tapering off as the weather gets cooler. Most of my Bantam Cochin hens have stopped laying, and are molting right now. The laying cycle is related to day length. Some of my birds are exposed to the light of a street light at night, so I expect they will continue to lay through the winter. Some people feel that deliberately forcing birds to lay during a time of year when they would not be shortens the life of the birds - I really don't know. Some breeds are hardy enough, they lay pretty much year 'round (Barred Rocks come to mind).

 

[donrae]

None of the breeds you've mentioned are production birds. They could just be tapering off as the days get shorter.