Help! My Chickens have not laid eggs in several Months~

[DobieLover]

Thank you @DobieLover and @JedJackson . I have about 20-25 hens and either one or two roo's (I know one but we are still debating on if another is a roos or hen, can't tell by its rear feathers and it doesn't have tail feathers). They have a fenced in run, about 10-15 ft long and that wide also. Their coop has several layers. the lower layer fluffed up with lots of hay, the egg boxes above that; above that a flat surface for them to rest on and several boards criss crossed for them to roost on as well. That is the room/part that the light is in. There is a door on the coop with a chicken door on the bottom for them to go in and out from the coop to the run. I had just started with the light about a week or less ago and the chickens are less than a year old. We got them last spring from tractor supply. Like I mentioned in my other two replies so far, I will be getting them the correct nutritional feed that they need tomorrow and get them back on the healthy road. Maybe some worm treats would be good? Not sure but was just thinking out loud...

It sounds like your setup is a bit small for the number of birds you have . This will also lead to stress and reduced egg production.
Can you post pictures?

 

[21hens-incharge]

It sounds like your setup is a bit small for the number of birds you have . This will also lead to stress and reduced egg production.
Can you post pictures?

Exactly what I thought when I read the run size.

The other thing that sticks out is these birds are just now approaching a year old......
Winter off for everyone is odd even with poor nutrition in this age of birds.

Have they been inspected for lice or mites?
Can you have a fecal test done to also rule out worms?

No, worms are not normally seen in the poops.

 

[DobieLover]

Exactly what I thought when I read the run size.

The other thing that sticks out is these birds are just now approaching a year old......
Winter off for everyone is odd even with poor nutrition in this age of birds.

Have they been inspected for life or mites?
Can you have a fecal test done to also rule out worms?

No worms are not normally seen in the poops.

I agree. Seems like a lot going on here.

 

[feathermaid]

Supplemental light in the winter needs to be planned and started gradually, preferably in the fall. Hens will also need a dark period of around 8-10 hours for the additional light to even register in their pineal gland. The pineal gland regulates sleep and other body functions including egg production. These articles explain more about light and winter laying:
Supplemental Light in the Chicken Coop: Why and How
Dangers of Supplemental Coop Light

It does seem a little strange that all your birds stopped laying at such a young age, I thought they wouldn't molt or take a break until about 18 months. My pullets that started laying in summer continued to lay through their 1st winter and didn't stop until their 2nd winter, but started again right around Feb-March. So diet must have played a part with your birds. I've heard that without enough protein or calcium, hens' bodies will steal it from their own bones to produce eggs for a short time until they just have to stop.

I definitely agree with others about not worrying about treats until they get back on track with a regular high protein diet. I feed my girls Purina Flock Raiser and offer oyster shell on the side. If you have roosters, that would probably be best for your flock too, as the added calcium in layer feed isn't good for the males.

It's true that treats do break up the boredom a bit, but there are other things you can do for them. You mentioned in your first post you had about 30 hens... and a 15x15 run area seems a bit small if you go by the 10sq. ft. per bird rule. Do you free range at all? Adding some extra perches in the run will give them some more places to hang out. There's a lot more ideas in this article: Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging
If you do feel like letting your birds roam around, this article also some helpful tips: Key Points to Successful Free Ranging

 

[feathermaid]

Oh this is a popular thread... I started typing my post an hour ago and got interrupted... sorry I'm so behind.

 

[jreardon1918]

Our hens are 1.5 years old. They went from 11/29 - 1/16 with no eggs. I started supplemental lighting on in the run on 12/26. The light shines in the window. At first it came on at 5am. I increased to 4am over a month. 5 of 7 hens are back laying. For December I switched to higher protein game feed. Back to layer pellets now. Have cut back on treats. Except for protein.

 

[aart]

I feed them 50% finisher because they are so young, 40% layer pellets, and 10% Hanson H&H food, a premium laying blend that our chicken supplier designed herself.

Never heard of either of these extremely high protein feeds, would love to see links to these products.
Could you give a more detailed explanation of the ratio and overall protein and calcium percentages?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Ours are bucking this winter depression thing with authority. We're getting 5-7 eggs a day from 8 layers. One more is about to start laying soon. I feed them 50% finisher because they are so young, 40% layer pellets, and 10% Hanson H&H food, a premium laying blend that our chicken supplier designed herself. But it costs double...

aart asks a good question.....

I am wondering if the % that you listed is a protein % or if you are mixing x% of each type of feed.....

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Never heard of either of these extremely high protein feeds, would love to see links to these products.
Could you give a more detailed explanation of the ratio and overall protein and calcium percentages?

Here is H&H. https://handhfeed.com/
The other two are from Tractor Supply. Laying pellets and finisher crumble.

The percentages are my mix in the feeders.

 

[aart]

The percentages are my mix in the feeders.

Ohhhhh....I see now! Sorry about that.
So what are the overall protein and calcium percentages for your mix?