Hens not laying

[kjbills]

We have three hens, one is 3 1/2 years old and the other two are just a little over a year old. During the winter we used a lamp in our coop mid-way into fall and through the first part of winter until the lamp caught fire. Thankfully there wasn't any damage and all the birds were fine. They continued to lay for another month or more, then in mid-to-late February they stopped. By then the days were beginning to get a little bit longer, so it puzzled us as to why the sudden stop. In the last month or so we have had two of the hens molt but one of the younger ones is finished while our eldest is almost done. None of them are showing any interest whatsoever in the laying box. I have tried everything I know to do. I've tried to de-parasite them, have put powder on them and in the coop and run to get rid of any possible ticks, fleas, or lice, I've put a stone in the box to simulate an egg and still nothing. Thankfully they are all still eating very well and seem happy, although one of my two younger hens is bullying the other young hen. I figure that is still leftovers from the long, cold winter when they were cooped up for days on end. Anyhow, anyone have ideas for me? I don't mind having my hens as pets, and if they're never to lay again I'm fine with that but this just seems so weird. Have never had a flock do this before.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Have you wormed them and did you use insecticidal powder or DE (DE doesn't work for an infestation)?

For a bug infestation, it requires retreatment at 7days for mites and 14 days for lice, while tossing nesting and coop materials and treatment of coop also. If there is a reservoir left for the bugs they will be back.

I am wondering why they molted so late and so I am wondering if they have some bugs.

 

[kjbills]

Thank you for your thoughts. I have gone ahead and dusted them again with a poultry dust I had gotten at the local Tractor Supply. We also worked on cleaning out all of the coop and run and dusted in there, including their laying box. I sure hope this works and will definitely re-dust again in a week or two. Thanks again!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thank you for your thoughts. I have gone ahead and dusted them again with a poultry dust I had gotten at the local Tractor Supply. We also worked on cleaning out all of the coop and run and dusted in there, including their laying box. I sure hope this works and will definitely re-dust again in a week or two. Thanks again!

It sounds like you are being thorough! You are welcome- sorry I couldn't think of anything else to add for advice.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

We have three hens, one is 3 1/2 years old and the other two are just a little over a year old. During the winter we used a lamp in our coop mid-way into fall and through the first part of winter until the lamp caught fire. Thankfully there wasn't any damage and all the birds were fine. They continued to lay for another month or more, then in mid-to-late February they stopped. By then the days were beginning to get a little bit longer, so it puzzled us as to why the sudden stop. In the last month or so we have had two of the hens molt but one of the younger ones is finished while our eldest is almost done.....

Molting hens seldom lay. This is especially true in a backyard setting. I don't know what 3 1/2 human years is equal to in chicken years but it has got to be a bunch. Pickup your hens off the roost after dark and gently palpitate the area around their pelvis with their heads facing your elbow. The bones here should stand out. If this area feels like a pillow you may be killing your hens with kindness. Cut back some on the treats. You may ever put deep wheat straw in their pen or coop and feed them all their food in the straw. This forces them to work and scratch for every bite and it is a good approximation of a free-range life style. Finally there is a way to tell if a hen has stopped or when she will stop laying. Hens store pigment in their combs, face, eye rings, beaks, vent, feet etc. This pigment is used up in a predictable order during egg production.
It is quite complicated and beyond my ability to post it here but remember that the lost pigment is replaced in the reverse order that it was used. Careful examination should clue you in to when to expect a hen to return to production. This information can be found at USDA affiliated agricultural universities.

There is also a predictable sequence of feather loss and replacement during the molt. This information is also available off the web. Good luck getting your head wrapped around both sets of information.

 

[kjbills]

So, within two days of posting and dusting the coop and the girls my two youngest hens began laying again. I have no idea if there is any correlation but I am so happy. Thanks again for your help and encouragement!