Girls stopped laying....

[geoaware]

After about twelve months of laying almost an egg a day my three girls have decided to stop. They are not molting...

So a question (or three)

1. How long do chicken go of laying for?
2. Is there anything you can do to start the process again?
3. How many years of laying can you expect from a chicken?

Gary

 

[McGoo]

I am not an expert, but I'll give some information from my limited experience and what I've read here and elsewhere.

And just an fyi - My hens stopped laying for about 3 weeks for what I thought was no apparent reason. They've started laying again. They range in age from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2.

When they stopped laying I immediately started to add more protein to their diet. I made sure the Oyster shells were filled up high and I gave them scrambled eggs and cat food... not every day, but every couple of days.

Another method, would be to put them in a lighted facility to make their bodies ovulate more frequently. Personally I believe that there is a reason the hen has stopped laying and forcing the issue may deplete her body of needed protein and other nutrients.

I read that a chicken can live into her teens. And they can lay eggs for many years, however after a couple of years their egg laying production goes way down.