Egg production is down

[Clukcluks]

My girls are not putting out. Very low egg production.
What is your best advice for a
No Egg Winter.

 

[SkyAJK]

What breed, age, protein % of their feed, weather where you are, housing ...that would give enough information to start the guessing.

My Pekin & Japanese bantam do not lay egg in the whole of winter, my standard size hens some do lay egg, but far and few in between.

My Wyandotte hens do not lay egg in winter at all. They only do it in spring and summer.

Generally, most chickens do not lay egg in winter, it is the time their body take a break. A break that give their body to recover, rest and recharge. It is a well earned break.

The manufacture that produce the feed I got for my chickens increases feed protein to 17.5% in winter and back down to 17% in summer. The increase in protein boost their egg laying, but I don't know by how much.

Their age and breed also a factor as well. Older hen reduce their egg laying no matter what season. Molting is no egg production.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Are they molting? No eggs during molting, they need that protein to produce feathers. Are your days getting shorter? That'll do it too. Remember they are living creatures, not machines. Daylight affects their hormones, and hormones influence ovulation. Most hens produce fewer or no eggs from fall to spring but pick back up again when daylight hours lengthen.

 

[fat brown hen]

Best advice? Preserve as many eggs as you can while the gettin's good. (Look up: waterglassing eggs)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You can also scramble eggs, pour them raw into muffin tins, freeze them, then remove from the tins and store in the freezer in plastic bags. Good for baking anyway and maybe for cooking as scrambled eggs although truthfully I have not tried that yet. I will, though!

 

[SueT]

My hens have never laid all winter. They’ve all stopped now. It’s okay, they need a break, those that take a break will probably live longer.