Heartbroken chickens.... or just plain cold turkey?

[Chickenuser]

Well, sad story. First time Chicken raiser, and i started with 18 chickens in April. Well, since then 12 have died. (i know what i did then), but recently my only rooster died with no provocation, then my hens stopped laying altogether. Could this be because of my rooster dieing, or are my chickens just adjusting to the cold? I have not changed the diet or water consumption.

please help!!!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Got to have more information....Did you start out with 18 adult chickens or raise them from peeps?...What age did you lose some?..Could have been an illiness going thru your flock if you lost that many....sometimes you can lose a single chicken and not know what happened....This time of year lots of hens are not laying they are adjusting to the cold weather....You don't say part part of the country you are from a cold state or warm climate...See need more info for people to chime in....

 

[Chickenuser]

I already know what happened to my chickens dieing. I fed them to much and they got to fat for their legs and were unable to eat. But I am asking about the hens i have now and if them not laying eggs is due to the freezing temp. or the dead rooster. Has this been known to happen?

 

[MissPrissy]

You should not be so abrupt and rude to someone trying to help you. Tuffoldhen has much knowledge and can give you more help than you may realize.

If you fed them too much and they couldn't walk your chickens were probably meat birds and died from a heart attack or other stress. There is nothing you can do in most cases with those kinds of chickens. You could not control how much they grew and when they died.

Hens do not stop laying because a rooster is not present. Hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. The change in shorter days and daylight as well as the cold weather has caused them to stop laying for the winter. they may pick up again in a few weeks or not again until near the spring.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

What breed of chickens are you raising?...Most chickens to not overeat....If you are in a colder climate for winter they could be molting and have stopped laying til their molt is over...hens in a molt are trying to produce new feathers and all their energy goes into the feather growth and not egg production...

Have no idea what could have happened to your rooster without more info....

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, your first bunch must have been cornish x meat birds if they over ate. There is no other breed of chicken that will do that. As for what happened to your roo. We can't even make a guess without more details. And with that, that can help figure out why the girls are not laying. Could be stress, could be season. Could be the breed. Was your rooster a cornish x like the other ones? Heart attacks will get almost all of that type eventually.

Edit: So I went though all your posts on the board ( just click on your user name) and it for some reason sounds to me you got a bunch of Cornish x's and they had a very rough start. They are meat chickens if this is true and so they won't be laying very well. More info please and a picture will help.

 

[Chickenuser]

Sorry about being rude earlier.
The store i got my chickens from said the were Golden Cross Pullets and that they were laying chickens. SO i think the sales person just didn't know what he was talking about.

But the new ones my dad got me because a couple died are black speckeld and tiny, they lay blueish green eggs.
The Golden Cross Pullets are white and very big. So I know now to not get this breed.
My rooster.... well, i had just refilled their water, and fed them the night before, i came out and the rooster was laying in the corner of the outside pen (where i put the food out) with his legs under him and just laying there. At first i thought he was sleeping, but he was stiff and the other chickens wouldn't go near him. (not that i blame them

)
Well thank you!!!

 

[greenmulberry]

Wow, I sure hope you have better chicken luck with your new chickens!

They do sound like you got Cornish cross, aka "meat chickens". They don't live very long because they are bred to be super meaty and then get "harvested".

It sounds like your new ones might be bantam eater eggers! Those will be nice hens for you.

 

[Chickenuser]

Yea i really like the black ones, i'll get them again next spring too.
So from what i have heard so far you guys think they have all stopped laying b/c of either the cold or they are now molting?? Does that sound about right? I haven't seen any difference in their feathers so far. Is this normal?

 

[hcammack]

Probably reduced sun light which = winter coming and them taking a break.