Help! no eggs! and molting!

[AmeraucanaHank]

Hi, my 9 hens are molting and aren't laying any eggs but they didn't do this last year! WHY?

 

[Chookchicken]

Hens don’t lay eggs when they’re molting. They may not have of been old enough last year to molt. Don’t worry this is completely normal

 

[Rldad1]

Mine are all molting. I haven't had an egg in two weeks. Mine were too young to molt last year so they laid all winter.

 

[wamtazlady]

Hi, my 9 hens are molting and aren't laying any eggs but they didn't do this last year! WHY?

First year pullets lay during their first winter. At around 18 months or late in the year of their second year they molt. They substitute laying eggs with growing feathers as both require a lot of energy. To answer your question of "Why?", it is just normal to happen this way. I know people who get new pullets every year so they will have eggs during the winters. They cull their older hens to make room for the new pullets.

I have a warning for you. You may not get eggs for quite some time. Your hens may not lay until the days get longer. It could be February or even March before they start to lay again.

 

[Lizzy733]

This is absolutely normal. If you bought production hens with the intention to have a steady stream of eggs, be aware this is typically when egg farms would be culling. Production breeds pay it forward and laying drops drastically after the first moult if medical issues don't get them first.

If you have gone heritage, you can expect production to go down a little, but they'll still have many productive years ahead at their slower steady pace, but a winter break to moult will be an annual occurrence from now on.

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

Thank you! But i have 3 black-sex-link hens two years old and they are still laying 1 egg a day. and my 1 year old bielefelder,easter egger, and americana aren't laying at all!why?!?

 

[corriemartin]

When will they start laying again???

 

[Chookchicken]

Thank you! But i have 3 black-sex-link hens two years old and they are still laying 1 egg a day. and my 1 year old bielefelder,easter egger, and americana aren't laying at all!why?!?

Have they laid before? It is most likely since you are going into winter.

 

[Chookchicken]

When will they start laying again???

It can be a few weeks.

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

Have they laid before? It is most likely since you are going into winter.

Yes, they laid an egg almost every day in spring/summer.They were also hatched in fall by a friend.