Girls slowed down for the winter?

[bglz42]

My little bad girls, Britney/Paris/Lindsay, have slowed way down in production... here are the details:

Got then in April of last year, approx 1 year old and laying. RIR's.
Live on the Texas Gulf Coast, fairly temperate, but it has been an unusually cold winter. Must be that global warming...
Sometime in December, went from 3 eggs a day to 1 egg a day, maybe...
Feeding Layena, and a little scratch and scraps. Free range a few hours each day.

Will they fire up again when the days start getting longer? I've noticed their feathers have gotten really full and pretty. They lost a lot of feathers in the late summer and fall...

Jim & Janet

 

[ScoobyRoo]

hmmm???? could they be starting thier molt? Not sure how birds do in Texas as I'm from Kansas. Maybe they don't like the cold much and it has slowed them down a bit. That is not unusual. If there is a interuption (weather) in their other than normal lives that may be the problem. Hopefully someone else will have an opinion.

 

[chookchick]

Sounds like they went through a molt and are just now getting over it. Are their combs filling out and getting more color? Do they squat for you at all?--these are signs that they may start laying soon. All of mine quit for a couple of months, but most have started back up again. Living in Texas, I'm sure they will start up again soon.

 

[2txmedics]

Hello and welcome South Texas, Im from Corpus....but Im outside of houston now, on the south side....

My girls are till laying, and even when it dropped to 18 degrees!!!! I have no lights out in the coops either!!! I guess Ive been lucky....

 

[bglz42]

Thanks for all of your replies! I think it's a combination of the molt and the colder weather. Their combs are nice and red, btw.

I haven't gotten any eggs for the last couple of days, but maybe they will start up again soon.

Jim & Janet

 

[hillbillydoctor]

One thing you might do i to put a light in there. There's lots of links about what is the best light based on wavelengths etc. I initially had a 'reptile heat lamp' in my little coop, but it burned out. So now I just have a cheapie red ' party light'. It is on automatic timer to come on about 2a.m., and shuts off at 8:00a.m. I have had excellent laying with my two chickens, usually an egg each daily. They need about 14-16 hrs of light to get in the mood.

I have two Black Star hens: Reba and Tofu.