From 5 a day to 1 a day overnight. What can cause this?

[Freia]

Late summer to early fall is the typical time for molting. If you look around this board, many people are asking why their hens have slowed way down. That is because the hens have started molting.

If it were me, I would replace a couple of the older hens with some young hens that have just started laying eggs.

I guess I'm having a hard time accepting that it's "Late" summer already. I'm in denial.

We've only had the flock for 1.5 years (they were donated to us when their owners moved out-of-state), but my plan is to get 3-4 new chicks every Spring to keep fresh blood in there. That seems to be about the rate of dying off amongst the old spinsters anyway.I got 3 new ones last Spring, who are no longer laying, and my 4 new ones from this Spring should be starting up any time now. so I hope that's a decent plan for keeping the flock somewhat young. Our hens are also pets, so culling them when their laying slows down isn't an option. They get to enjoy retirement.

 

[Bullitt]

Oh, you already have 4 new pullets. That's good. How old are they, and what breed are they?

 

[Freia]

They are:

Wellsummer:19 weeks
Iowa Blue: 19 weeks
Ameracauna: 16 weeks
Brahma: 14 weeks

And then my gorgeous 15 week Langshan, who started crowing and mounted the Iowa Blue yesterday. Don't think there will be many eggs out of that one. Apparently a sorting error.

I don't have the high-production breeds. When I got the flock, it included a Buff Orpington, Plymouth Rock, 3 RIRs. They all succumbed to EYP from internal laying after prolonged suffering. I'm sticking with the heritage breeds from now on, as I have had no cases of EYP with the remaining heritage breeds in the flock. As long as I get enough eggs for my family (about 3 per day) I don't have a problem with a lower rate of lay and a happy, healthy, gorgeous flock.

the rest of the flock is:
Blue Cochin (purely for entertainment and lawn ornament)
Buff Cochin (oddly, lays 3-4 eggs a week during summer)
Brown Partridge Cochin (my brooder and foster mom to my feed-store chicks), lays a few a week all year - love her
Golden Laced Wyandotte: Layed 1 a day winter and summer, then spent the past 6 months molting - but she sure it pretty now!
Buff Wyandotte: This lady might be older than me. I don't think she's every layed anything. Nice and plump. Fricassee?
Ameracauna: great layer in the summer
Turken: One of my nyearlings: layed almost every day for a year, then hasn't layed anything since Easter.
Black sex-link- another yearling: Not impressed. Maybe 2-3 a week.
Mottled Blue Java: I just think she's a really cool bird. She lays great when she's not broody, which isn't often.

I really want some Langshan pullets next Spring. They better be sorted in the right bin next time I try.

 

[hungnguyen]

Two main factors of reducing egg laying are losing the eggs and having stress.

Losing the eggs can be they started laying somewhere else during the loose time or varmint is getting to the nest or they eat/damage their own eggs.

Having stress is a more common factor. Contributing issues are: weather getting hot, they lost their appetite and started to get skinny, moulting is also the same issue here.

For losing eggs, you will have to figure out the cause and took care. For moulting and weather, just give them 2 more months and they will lay again.

 

[Bullitt]

You can get heritage strains of Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds, if you like. It is strange that hens of different breeds all got egg yolk peritonitis (EYP) and died, because EYP is caused by genetics and hormones. You would think three different breeds would not all have the same problem.

You mentioned that some of your hens are older. Some chicken breeds were bred to lay a lot of eggs in the first 2 or 3 years of life and then they do not lay many eggs after that.

The average age for a pullet to start laying is 22 weeks. So hopefully you will soon start getting eggs from your pullets.

 

[Freia]

You can get heritage strains of Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, and Rhode Island Reds, if you like.

I did not know that. I REALLY liked my Plymouth rock, and would love to have more. Where can you find these as heritage strains? Do you have to find local breeders or are they available mail-order from a hatchery?

Yes, very odd about the EYP. I suspected EYP with the first death. I did a postmorten and found a bloated belly full of yolks and pus.The next one I took to the vet to find out why this was happening again, and she confirmed EYP and explained to me what to look for. Told me there was nothing i could do to prevent it. Then 3 more died from it with a few months apart, and now the remaining flock seems to be a healthy bunch.

so a question on the older hens: I know they lay less the older they get. I always just assumed that as they got older, they just would lay fewer per week and spread them out more. Mine seem to lay really well for a couple months, then just give up - almost as if they've run out of steam. Is that common?

 

[Bullitt]

You need to search for a breeder if you want to get a heritage strain. You can find breeders here on this site. You might look in the Plymouth Rock thread in the breed section, if you want Plymouth Rock.

"Mine seem to lay really well for a couple months, then just give up - almost as if they've run out of steam. Is that common?"

Are you saying that the older ones did this? Are you saying they lay for a few months each year and then stop or that they just laid for 2 months after you got them and stopped?

I wouldn't expect much from hens that are 4 to 6 years old.

 

[Freia]

The older ones do this.

Take my Buff Cochin. She starts laying around May. She then lays 3-4 eggs a week for 2-3 months, then she's done. I may get 1 egg every other week after that until Fall.

My Ameracauna is at least 5. She lays almost an egg a day for 2 months, then she's done.

My younger birds lay through a much larger window - say Easter through Halloween.

Fascinating animals.

Thanks for the tip on heritage breeders.

 

[Bullitt]

Do you see a pattern here? These older hens are only laying when the weather is warm, and then they probably stop laying or slow way down when they molt in late summer or early fall.

Do you plan to keep these older hens?

You need young hens if you want to get eggs all year.

 

[Freia]

Do you plan to keep these older hens?

Not so easy to decapitate these ladies...
Goldie (bottom picture) not only begs at the table with our dog, but once snuck into the house, hopped up on the couch to squeeze between my 2 kids to watch the DVD with them (which, to top it all off, happened to be Chicken-Run). All 3 girls were very offended when I booted the fuzzy one back out the door.

I don't expect high egg production from the old ladies. I keep them because we all enjoy them. What has me most stumped is that they stopped laying so suddenly (like they had a meeting in the coop "Hey girls, let's just stop laying and see if we can drive mommy crazy) and that my young hens ( 2- year-old wyandotte and 3 hens hatched last Spring) aren't giving me much either. I guess my wyandotte has been molting for a year, but she just started laying again and hopefully lays through winter. The Java is broody 1/2 the time, so that explains her. She does lay well when not broody. That turken is just hopeless. Not an egg since Easter. I'm so mad at her I actually could eat that one, but she's so tiny it's just not worth the effort of plucking her - not that it would take much to pluck her. And that Sex-link is just a dud. Can't explain her at all.

Sounds like my next experiment will be finding some high-production breeds from heritage strains. That's one of the many things I love about having chickens: there are so many things to learn and try, and most experiments are quite enjoyable - even if they fail.