Golden comet hens seem sterile.

[Donnamt]

we have purchased golden comet pulleys for 8 years now. It seems each year or 2 , we get a new batch. Getting fewer and fewer eggs. At present, our hens aren't 18 months old yet. At first we've gotten 6 eggs from 13 hens. Now, we're only getting 1 egg from them. We've tried the hot pepper flakes , lots of oats, special treats. We feed them layer mix. Give them light. We're ready to just butcher them, it's so frustrating.

 

[CluckerFamily]

What times are you adding the light, in the morning, afternoon or half and half?
Are they getting enough supplemental lighting to make up for how much they need?

 

[sourland]

After a year and a half of laying, it is not at all unusual for birds to take a break in their laying cycle. They have at least another good year of laying potential.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Golden comets are a hybrid too I think which means that they usually don't lay amazingly well after the first year

 

[cmom]

Hybrids usually burn out after a couple of years. Their first year is their most productive. You will still get some eggs but fewer and fewer as time goes on. They were bred for laying a lot of eggs usually averaging around 6 eggs weekly while other breeds may lay maybe 5 eggs weekly but they usually lay longer.

 

[cmom]

Also,

 

[NatJ]

we have purchased golden comet pulleys for 8 years now. It seems each year or 2 , we get a new batch. Getting fewer and fewer eggs. At present, our hens aren't 18 months old yet. At first we've gotten 6 eggs from 13 hens. Now, we're only getting 1 egg from them. We've tried the hot pepper flakes , lots of oats, special treats. We feed them layer mix. Give them light. We're ready to just butcher them, it's so frustrating.

They might be molting (losing their old feathers and growing new ones.)

It's normal for chickens to molt once a year, usually in the fall--but some of them do it in the middle of winter.

If they seem to have feathers missing, and if you look closely and find pinfeathers under the visible feathers, then molting is the problem.

Molting can take several months, but then the chickens start laying again and probably continue until next fall.

Waiting for the chickens to finish molting will probably get you eggs faster, as compared with butchering them and getting new baby chicks to raise. (Of course buying already-laying hens would give you eggs even sooner.)

I would keep feeding them the layer mix, but skip the hot pepper flakes, the oats, and the special treats. Layer mix is meant to be just right the way it is, so you don't have to add any other food. Just layer mix and water.