Hens not laying. HELP

[poncemartin1]

Hello, i'm a first-time chicken owner and we got four hens about 2 1/2 months ago. For the first two weeks only one laid then a second one started laying and that's it. One of the two that aren't laying did about two weeks ago lay a large soft egg but that's it. Also our first chicken to start laying hasn't laid in a week. They been on the same egg layer feed the whole time. Always have water. And they get plenty of grass, fruit, vegetables and occasionally meal worms. they have 13 1/2 ft.² of room inside the coop and 34 1/2 ft.² in the run. Because I live in the city they are kept in their run all the time. Any help advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Marty

 

[BoomChickaPop]

Since it is summer, hens typically don't lay this time of year. Even first timers will wait till September or October to lay. Sounds like you are feeding them all the correct stuff. What breeds are they?
And you should start incorporating oyster shells and grit into their food. To boost their calcium. Also chickens LOVE scraps! Throw them anything old (They also love egg shells and grapes!)

Hope this helps!

-BCP

 

[junebuggena]

Hello, i'm a first-time chicken owner and we got four hens about 2 1/2 months ago. For the first two weeks only one laid then a second one started laying and that's it. One of the two that aren't laying did about two weeks ago lay a large soft egg but that's it. Also our first chicken to start laying hasn't laid in a week. They been on the same egg layer feed the whole time. Always have water. And they get plenty of grass, fruit, vegetables and occasionally meal worms. they have 13 1/2 ft.² of room inside the coop and 34 1/2 ft.² in the run. Because I live in the city they are kept in their run all the time. Any help advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Marty

The bolded part is were I see a potential issue. Layer feed has just enough protein to support egg production; if treats are offered in very limited amounts. Too many treats, and the overall protein intake drops too low for producing eggs. Switch to a higher protein feed, or stop giving them treats.

 

[junebuggena]

Another issue is that you don't have enough coop/run space for 4 adult hens. Overcrowding stress may be a contributing factor.

 

[poncemartin1]

They do Always have oyster shells in the run and they get plenty of table scraps from my kids. They are Rhode Island Reds, road Island white and crossbreed americana.

 

[junebuggena]

That was my point. "Plenty of scraps" isn't really a good thing. Too many treats or extras, and they don't get enough protein to produce eggs. Egg whites are mostly protein, and it has to come from somewhere. Lay off the treats and give them more room (at least 4 sq ft of coop space and 10 sq ft of run space per bird), or switch to a higher protein feed and reduce your flock size to 3 hens.

 

[poncemartin1]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Cindy in PA]

The biggest piece of information missing here is how old the chickens were when purchased 2 1/2 months ago. Are they of laying age? Funny how chickens here don't lay in the winter & now they don't lay in the summer either! These chickens might be too young or too old to lay. They may as was said be getting too many treats & watering down their protein. They may just be put off still from being moved & messing up their routine. Make sure they are getting enough protein & be patient. Good luck.

 

[Steve Ramsey]

What, they don't lay in the summer? Of course they lay in the summer. The only time our egg numbers have dropped is in December and January and it start to pick up again by march. I would suggest it is the move and possibly their age that could be in question. Too young or too old. Hens will lay around every 25 hours and they will lay in the same place if the space is there for them.

 

[junebuggena]

Heat can affect laying, hence the no laying in summer...
And some flocks start molting about this time of year.