Frustrated with Production for Months

[FrostRanger]

It depends on what breed of chickens you have, as they lay different amounts of eggs per year. The new hens won't molt until they are about 18 months old, then molt for about 2 months and start laying again when they grow their new feathers.

Some pullets molt their first year, of my current flock all but one did

 

[fat brown hen]

If it makes you feel any better, I have 35 hens and I am getting 1-3 eggs per day this time of year. That's right, single digits. My maximum was about 24 in the spring.

I think you need to buy more chickens, but that's my answer to everything

 

[SkyAJK]

Before I had chickens, I assumed they lay eggs all the time.

Then I have chickens and I found that I was very wrong about chicken egg laying.

Then I found more that ...through pain and scratching my head to my hair all fall off....sometimes chickens just don't lay any egg no matter what, they just can not be bothered, being fluffy cute is enough so it seems.

I have a barred rock that does not lay egg at all. My 2 Wyandottee will lay egg whenever they feel like it, that is sometime 3 eggs a week and some weeks non at all. It is a mystery to me.

Edit to add that I did tell my chickens that they can be freeloaders so long they are not sick.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well, I tell mine stories about chicken noodle soup! Sometimes that straightens them up.

I will state that hidden nests can be incredibly hidden in plain sight. I don't have a camera - but I have gone down to the coop with a book and a cup of coffee and just sat there quietly, waited and watched, realized the were going into the coop, but when I went in, they were not there. Hidden under a bench, back behind a board, was a nest of 22 eggs! Or once, there was an old stump, with a bit of hay blown up along the side, and UNDEr that was a nest. Just saying.

Right now, I have three pullets hatched in May - no eggs yet. If they don't lay by the end of November, I won't expect any until the end of January. Just not enough light.

In the summer, temperatures near or over 100 will affect my laying dramatically decreasing that. In the fall, a lot of cloudy days, will reduce it too.

Mrs K