Help... Chickens are not laying.

[Acre4Me]

Water: first thing to go when they don’t drink enough is egg production.

So, add another spot or two for water. Clean out the waterers. I’ve had chickens not like rusty water due to the heater that was in the bucket one year, the cage around the bucket heater was welded with stuff that rusted as soon as it was in water. They just wouldn’t drink that water.

In the summer when all they do is sit in the shade during the heat …they don’t drink quite enough water (which is in the shade), so I wait until around 2 pm when the entire run is in the shade, and give them wet feed with ice cubes. Yes, feed+water, wait 5-10 min for it to hydrate. Add more water to be like a batter, then add ice (not needed in winter). They get excited about this treat and gobble up feed and water, and egg production doesn’t suffer so much. If the egg production has already dropped off, then it takes a few days for it to get better.

 

[Acre4Me]

One more water note:

If you provide additive water, like ACV in the water, or any other additive, then also provide plain fresh water( no additives). Often the packets for probiotics and electrolytes indicate to do this- have a separate fresh water offered at same time.

FWIW, we had quail. During a short period of time, we used ACV. We noticed they didn’t seem to consume as much water as before we added ACV. We made sure we weren’t adding too much. We gave up the ACV bc we changed water bottles daily (as in removed old, put in new, washed old and then they thoroughly dried before next day), and they drank more of the fresh, non additive water.

 

[Acre4Me]

FEED: I doubt that is the issue. However, I recommend you look at the label. If it is only around 16% protein, you might want to increase their protein. You may want to offer vitamins for a brief time.

Protein can be added a few ways. Different feed with higher protein is obvious. But, as a supplement, you could offer turkey starter or meat bird feed in the afternoon before they go to roost. That way, it is still a feed geared toward poultry, with higher protein 1x per day. Stop “treats” that are not feed, this is particularly important if your feed is only 16% protein. You can offer cooked meat. They are omnivores and looooove meat, but watch the salt, this is not a time to give them left over Chinese food. Dry cat food (higher protein) can work as a boost, but should not be relied upon or replace proper chicken feed. When I have used dry cat food, I break it up in a blender a bit or moisten it with water to make it softer. Fish food in small amounts, or just fish , canned fish, also ok as a temporary boost.

Vitamins are sold for chickens. We use NutriDrench sold at TSC, but there are a few brands. We always give new chicks vitamins, then extra if any are still lethargic. But, for full grown chickens, you could add to water (per the instructions) and provide plain water too. Or, in the dark (once in roost), just take a dropper or toothpick or other similar thing (not using the dropper actually in the bottle), and run it along the side of their beak- they should take in a drop or two, dip beak in plain water, and allow them to drink and raise their head to swallow.

Good luck. Hope you get eggs soon!

 

[SiDaStuff]

So, I understand that Chickens will not lay as normal in the Winter, but we have not been getting any eggs for the past 2 months. Now, we have both old and new chickens, down to under a year old, and we make sure they have food and water daily. They normally are very healthy, and we have not noticed any egg remains sourcing from Egg Eating. Any suggestions?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

They should kick-start for your area any day now. They started up here (west central Missouri) about two weeks ago.

If they free-range, you may want to check under every bush, tree, plant pot, wheelbarrow, fallen log, etc. to be sure they haven't been hiding them.

You could also put a light in the coop (low wattage, doesn't need much) to add a few hours of 'daylight' for them. I have a plant light in my coop, on a timer. Comes on at 4:00 am. I didn't want to add light in the evenings, because they need to go to roost naturally. I did not want the light suddenly going off and surprising birds who had not yet roosted.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am in SD, and waiting too. Nothing to do but wait, unless you add light.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We started adding extra light both in the mornings and evenings, about Dec. 1. One year we didn't get any eggs from about the middld of August until mid-February, about six months! First they quit because it was hot. Then they went into molt. Then we got no eggs bc of short daylight hours! So this year we started turning a light on at 5 am and letting them out at 7 am, at daylight. In the evening we turned the light on again at 5 pm when they went in to roost at dark, and turned it off at 7 pm. This gave them 14 full hours of light. And we have had at least 5-7 eggs every day, sometimes as many as 8-10 or even more. We have 18 hens, but some are over 3 years old and are due to be culled very soon, as we have young chicks coming up to take their place.