Help my chickens stopped laying!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BayBay Peepers]

One benefit is it could prolong the amount of time you get eggs. As they age they slow down, but a friend of mine has 9 year old hens that lay here and there.

As for adding new chickens. It's best to quarantine first. Let them see each other but no touching. Then after a few weeks add the new ones at night. The new group already know each other so they will stick together, but your original chicken needs time to adjust.

 

[bhopkins224]

Thanks. I was out of town when my husband decided to surprise me. They have already been together for a week. I would have liked to have kept them separate had I been home. Also would my ladies benefit from having a rooster around? Or is one even necessary for my little flock? The neighbors across the street from us have taken in a rooster that was roaming the neighborhood shortly after easter. He is pretty free range and likes to visit our ladies through the fence as we have a dog.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

It's not necessary to have a rooster unless you want to hatch a few chicks. If you do decide to get a rooster make sure he is exactly to your liking. If he's aggressive in any way towards you or your hens get rid of him. It is not worth the hassle when there are so many good roosters out there needing a home.
I personally like having my rooster around. He makes a low growl noise whenever he see's something overhead or if something is "off" and all my hens and ducks run for cover. Not that the hens and ducks couldn't figure out a threat on their own, I just like the way he handles himself and different situations.

Since your girls have been together a week I'd say over time it should get better. Try feeding them all treats so they sort of interact with eachother. If your younger girl gets bullied you can take the offender out a few days and stick her back in. It will knock her down a few pegs on the totem pole

 

[bhopkins224]

Thanks for all of the great advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

No problem I hope it all works out (I'm sure it will)

 

[Cindy in PA]

I lighted my first group of chickens 20+ years ago for 14+ hours a day & had a barred rock that lived to over 8 years. She still laid 3 eggs a week. Hens rarely run out of eggs just because they are raised with lights in the winter.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Good to know you do all this reading that says they'll run out earlier with light and no one ever really says different. I have a light that turns on under 40 degrees so I never regulate the time. I do it for comfort over egg, we had lots of temps in the negatives this past year.

 

[Peeps61]

I think that information about less eggs if they lay through the winter is based on the number of ova a chicken has. Once they are gone, that's it, no more eggs. If they lay more during the winter, they reach "ova end" faster, thus the comments about less to no eggs in later age for the hens. I've not read that it makes them stop laying, only that they slow down or stop sooner than they would have left to nature's devices. Makes sense, but my hens are only 20 months old, so other than the ones molting, they are all still laying pretty regular!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

It definitely makes sense. I'm sure it all just depends on each particular chicken. Like slowing down with less light. Right now my buffs are slow, but my leghorns are still laying every day.

 

[bhopkins224]

I've been getting around three eggs every other day. I am finding though, that they are quite a bit larger than normal in the colossal range. I don't know if that is an incorrect sizing description but they are somewhere between a duck and turkey egg. They are not generally double yolks but quite a large one.