Hen Stopped Laying! Some Never Started!

[acoupleohens]

Unless I am completely blind and/or not smart, my nine month old gold sex link/gold star/gold comet hen has stopped laying completely. She went into a molt in November, so it was normal for her to stop (I assume). She hasn't started laying again even though she has stopped molting.

Also, my white cochin bantams of the same age (one frizzle, one smooth, both carry the gene) have never started laying. Do they take longer to start, or am I doing something wrong?

In November I supplemented their laying pellets/cracked corn with a gamecock ration so my gold SL could get more protein when growing back her feathers. I stopped feeding oyster shell with great frequency because they seemed to not be eating it. Should I stop using GC ration and get some more oyster grit?

Thanks for any help.

 

[jvls1942]

WOW !!! was that a ride.. they pulled the rug out from under me.
I was just replying to this thread when they moved it to here.. My screen went wild..

anyhoo, oyster shells do not promote not deter laying..

there are many variables why chickens quit laying.. since I have no idea where you live, I am going to assume it is a cold climate.. Your chickens might be cold. hence they are onverting feed to calories for body warmth instead of egg production..

the days are short .. you might not be giving them supplemental lighting required for egg laying. they need 14hours per day of light.

 

[acoupleohens]

I live in Houston, Texas. It is NOT cold here at all, the lowest it ever got this year is around 35, and that was for a couple weeks or so in late December. I'm wearing shorts right now!

Also, they are free range so they get light from 6 am to 7 pm. But that's only 13 hours or so, I guess.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Some chickens take longer than others when they are molting. Do you have any roosters in the bunch? 13 hours of daylight, especially free range daylight should be more than sufficient to produce eggs. I'm guessing that they just need a little more time to finish the molt, unless you have a rooster who is a little busier than need be and stressing the girls overly much. Then you might want to separate them. However, it is a good idea to have a rooster to protect them if they are free ranging for protection from predators, unless you have a good watch dog that likes to protect the girls.

If they have too much corn vs. layer or game feed, this can cause low egg production as well. The oyster shell grit will have nothing to do with when they lay, but they will need it of course, to have shells that are hard enough. Keep the oyster shell grit as a free choice item-they will know how much and when to eat it.

Personally, I would continue to give a higher protein mix particularly if they are still gaining more feathers that you might not be aware of.