my barred rocks have not laid an egg in almost 3 weeks now. they are 7 months old are not molting on the same feed(layer) that they have been on. they started laying at 5 mo. no signs of any sickness. also my delawares, black coppers, ameraucana's and rhode island reds have slacked up. even my white leghorns have slacked in their egg laying. any ideal's on what is going on with my girls? they are all in seperate pens. the reds have been molting and are starting to get their feathers back now, my ameraucana's are molting, my leghorns are getting over fowl pox, the rest of them are first year layers and avarage from 7 months to 9 months old. I just dont understand what is going on with them. I understand about the molt and the fowl pox causing them not to lay but the others just up and quit.
So then does that mean you will only get eggs in the summer? I have no chickens yet but I keep reading that they stop or slow down in the winter so does that mean only eggs four months out of the year?
Heat or any other stress factor can affect egg-laying. Check for lice, mites and internal parasites. Can you be sure they are not eating the eggs?
oh I have watched them off and on all day and there are no eggs. also no lice, but I have noticed that a couple of my delawares have lost weight do you think I might need to worm them?they have never been wormed. they act like they are starving to death all the time no matter how much they eat. I honestly think the feed is no good they were big and fat then we found mold in the feed took it back and got different but they still act like they are starving.
