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

[catrockfarm]

I have often found that it helps to place a ceramic egg in the nest when they haven't laid for a while. If you can't find one even a plastic Easter egg will work.

 

[Judy Todd]

I think the feed is the main problem, even tho in the olden days farmers fed scraps, they did not care if the hens laid all winter. We think differently now. The light is a problem also, just like someone said, they only need 14 hours of light, just a 40 wt bulb will do the trick. Your hens are all only 1 year old, so , yes some of them should be laying well. Don't forget the oyster shells, and if they free range you do not need grit. Good luck
Maybe get some books at the library, a fountain of info there. That is where I learned most all of wht I apply to raising chicks

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Mine hasn't started laying either. They started molting in July and like clock work has always laid by the end of January. This must be their first off year but they are getting older.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

If you go to a farm store like Wilco they have the eggs for the laying boxes. We have three of them unless it comes missing during the time the squirrels come out. Yep, they will take them.

 

[bigz1983]

The only all purpose feed tractor supply has is this:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...stock-sweet-12-animal-feed-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

The other feed which I think would probably be better cause it is 16% protein (where the above is 12%) would be:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-poultry-layer-16-crumble-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

Am I right in picking the second one instead of the first? The first one is cheaper but the second does have the 16% and that is what they should be getting right?

I give my flock of 15 hens and 1 rooster 16% protein egg layer feed.
People on this site will tell you to give your flock a chick starter or all flock feed with no added calcium.
Then put a dish of crushed oyster on the side free choice to let the hens regulate the calcium intake themselves.
This way young pullets not at point of lay, roosters and hens in molt(not currently laying) don't get too much calcium and get avain gout/kidney damage.
They say the extra added calcium in egg layer feed can cause avain gout/kidney damage in young pullets not at point of lay, roosters and older hens in molt(not currently laying).
I have tried this method but the hens didn't eat enough of the free choice crushed oyster shell and I got shell less eggs.
Maybe it might work for you though.
Right now I don't have any young pullets not at point of lay so my rooster is the only one at risk of the added calcium in the egg layer feed.
I can get a free rooster if he dies from eating egg layer so oh well...

 

[Judy Todd]

Facebook, it’s got a lot to answer for.
You’ve had an account here for 6 years it seems. Why on earth would you take the advice of someone on Facebook in preference to all the advice and information that is available here?
Reading through the thread it seems you are still trying to mix various feeds and writing about feeding table scraps and a number of other additions to your feed.
You write you have a rooster, maybe more than one?
You also write you got at least the bulk of your hens last spring (?)
How old were the chickens you got in the Spring?

Normally, assuming you got chicks in the Spring, they are now pullets and as such they would not normally have a full molt in their first winter (this winter).
Normally, pullets that were chicks in the Spring will lay throughout their first winter. This is how some people maintain year round egg production; they breed/incubate/buy so that each winter they have some pullets in their first laying season which will continue throughout the winter.
If you do have roosters then layers feed is not a suitable feed for them; it contains too much calcium.
If you have pullets that are not old enough to lay eggs yet then layer feed is not suitable for them either, they don’t need the calcium.
If your pullets/hens (?) did lay eggs and then stopped there are as other people have mentioned probably other factors that have caused this, poor diet, stress and overcrowding are common factors.
Whatever the ages of your flock there is a very simple solution to feeding. Feed them all with a feed that contains at least 18% protein and no more than 1% calcium. Buy a calcium supplement such as Oyster shell and make it available at all times. Stop feeding corn, pepper, vegetables, kitchen scraps etc.
If you want to treat your fowl then buy some tinned tuna in oil (don’t buy tuna in brine (salt) because the extra salt isn’t good for them. Give them half a teaspoonful of tuna per fowl, roosters as well three times a week.
Remove any light you have put in the coop. Chickens are not machines and need a rest from laying if you want them to live long and healthy lives.
Final advice, cancel your face book account and spend more time on BYC.
It would be very helpful for all those who may try to advise you if you,
a) showed a picture of your coop and run and stated the dimensions.
b) checked to see how many hens and roosters you have and note this in a post
c) posted the ages within a month or so of your flock
d) gave some indication of your location and the current weather conditions.

 

[Judy Todd]

Right on , never get advise from facebook. This site is where to go for info that has been researched. My girls lay all winter, 6 to 10 eggs daily from 12 hens, one banty is 9 and retired, one banty raising chicks in the garage. I always have a light on a timer so they get 14 hours of light. Easy peasy, not rocket science. They do free range most days, I am sure that makes for happy gals. Also , 3 to 4 sq feet per hen is important, you can fudge a bit if they free range. Get a book from the library and do your homework. All of us were new at one time and learned by researching for the answers.

 

[Judy Todd]

Very interesting, thanks, @aart!

See, you can always learn some thing new. I do not have any roosters now, but did not know that they will not mount a hen who is not laying. Mother nature sure is smart.

 

[LaBrenda from 29 Palms]

Hello everyone! I know that molting and often the winter time can hinder the laying of chickens but this has been going since the end of October or before that they quit laying. I have many different types of breeds, one or two roosters possibly, I think one at least, the rest, about 30 maybe, all hens, almost a year old. We got them all last spring, had been laying at the end of summer and then quit. I saw them molting and figured, OK, makes sense, plus we had a lot of roosters that some of y'all helped me figure out we had that we took out of the mix. It had gotten cold too, so I figured and the time change. But I figured they would have started laying again by now.

We put a light in they're laying nesting area and leave it on 24/7; put it in there almost a week ago but that still hasn't seemed to help. We feed them cracked corn and house scraps (egg shells, bread, veggies etc.) We were feeding them laying mash, but I had read on here or on Facebook backyard page/group that a woman said feeding them cracked or whole corn and a light had her chickens laying again in a week or less. I tried that and still nothing.

Any suggestions or help? Any and all would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hello beaches4me,
Just wanted to get into your conversation about your hens not laying. Have had chickens growing up, but started three years ago w/ my own chickens. Things we have read about raising chicken her in Boise, Idaho are different then in 29 Palms, Ca. where I grew up. So, things that people say maybe good for where they live, but not be good for where you are living.
First thing is having rosters, depends on what you personally want. If you do not want to hatch / raise chickens, then don't have a Roster! But have heard that it is best for protection for the hen's, yet the dominate Hen of the roost will do the same thing!
Ours started w/ a chick given to us, yes it was a roster and then got two laying hens. Then after a year got two baby chicks and got one of each sex. Because the baby roster was trainable found a new home for the beautiful roster. Now that our young roster pecks at my feet I catch him and hold him upside down. This is the way I have been told to show him who is in charge at this roost!
Because it is SO COLD here, going down to the 20's and below, we have a red light in the one hen house. There is three housing in the coop and one is for our rabbits. This is on 24/7 for the comfort of the roost. chickens can be in below -0 temps, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't make thinks as comfortable if we can for them. Hens and stress is one thing that will stop egg laying, so heat is a comfort for them : ).
Give my chickens a feed, that we can afford, that is laying pellets for chickens.
Need to give them a feed that will give them a good feed that has all the nutrition and vitamins that is needed for not only for laying eggs but good health also. Giving them people food / scraps is not a healthy diet. If you want healthy eggs, it reflects what you feed them! They are give cracked corn mixed in the pellets and that is just a hand full. Every Sunday we give them a handful or two of dried mealworms as a treat. We also give them left overs, but it is things like veggies that do not have spices or butter. Have a garden, melons, squashes, zucchinis and other veggies are thrown their way. Also grapes and they like to get not the strawberry plants. Also cut grass from a electric mower, not gas! Egg shells, the hen eats the shell after chick hatches. Put need to crush the shells when you give them yours. For this can teach them to eat their laid eggs have happened.
Have 27 different animals and my special needs 26 yr. old son. We are learning things all the time about taking good care of our animals! Volunteer at the Zoo Boise in Idaho. Love wild life as well as all animals!

 

[Dbendell]

Hello everyone! I know that molting and often the winter time can hinder the laying of chickens but this has been going since the end of October or before that they quit laying. I have many different types of breeds, one or two roosters possibly, I think one at least, the rest, about 30 maybe, all hens, almost a year old. We got them all last spring, had been laying at the end of summer and then quit. I saw them molting and figured, OK, makes sense, plus we had a lot of roosters that some of y'all helped me figure out we had that we took out of the mix. It had gotten cold too, so I figured and the time change. But I figured they would have started laying again by now.

We put a light in they're laying nesting area and leave it on 24/7; put it in there almost a week ago but that still hasn't seemed to help. We feed them cracked corn and house scraps (egg shells, bread, veggies etc.) We were feeding them laying mash, but I had read on here or on Facebook backyard page/group that a woman said feeding them cracked or whole corn and a light had her chickens laying again in a week or less. I tried that and still nothing.

Any suggestions or help? Any and all would be greatly appreciated!!!