Hens not laying?!

[EggresiveAli]

Hi guys,
I have 3 hybrids who are 2 and a half years old, and out of the three, only one is laying! I know hybrids are bred for maximum egg laying in their first year, but they were VERY late to mature and start laying. Any ideas? P.S. The weather in Scotland is only starting to pick up.

 

[krista74]

They need around 14 hours of daylight to lay effectively.

Could just be that they are waiting for the days to lengthen.

My pullets laid through their first Winter as they were only just coming into lay, but this Winter I am fully anticipating they will take a break too.

- Krista

 

[EggresiveAli]

Okay! Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Well, tell your weather to pick up soon. I’m heading over there next week for a vacation, the Edinburgh/Stirling area, the Orkneys, Skye, Iona, Glasgow, and others. We’ve been there before but many of these places are new to us. Really looking forward to it. Cool is OK, dry would be nice. See what you can do, OK?

In Glasgow the day length is already over 14 hours, not sure where you live. Any further north and it will be longer. Actual day length isn’t all that important anyway. It’s the days getting longer that effects the chickens more than the actual length. Chickens so close to the equator that the day never reaches 14 hours still follow the same cycles. Commercial operations that totally control the light and everything else generally use about 14 hours because it fits in with their system of controlled feeding and other operations so they can get a system that maximizes production. Most of us don’t micromanage the daily lives of their chickens like they do so the actual day length isn’t that important to us. But since the commercial operations often use 14 hours, it has become mantra on here that it is an absolute requirement. It’s not.

So what’s going on with yours? You only have three so averages don’t mean a lot. Each chicken is an individual and can do its own thing, no matter what is typical for them. What is typical for the hybrid commercial layers is that they lay really well their first laying cycle, go through an adult molt, then lay really well for their next laying cycle. After each adult molt after that, production drops across the flock about 15% to 20%. Any specific individual may be way off his though. Across a flock of thousands of birds though the averages normally do mean something.

At 2-1/2 years old yours should have just gone through their second adult molt. If they follow the averages once they crank up laying you should get maybe 5 eggs a week instead of the 6 or 7 you were probably getting last year. Some hens will start laying as soon as they complete the molt, others wait for spring. Length of day is important but other weather factors sometimes play a part. Yours may not have completed the molt or they may just be waiting for better weather. I hope it’s one of these.

The commercial laying hybrids are not bred for longevity. Because their internal egg making factory is so highly tuned to producing a lot of large eggs and their bodies are fairly small so they use feed more efficiently, more for egg production and less for maintaining a big body, they are more prone to egg laying problems. It’s somewhat like the hybrid broilers being so tuned to converting feed to meat that they often run into medical problems after a certain age. They are both specialists. The hybrid layers are not nearly as prone to medical problems as the broilers but they are more prone than dual purpose breeds, for example.

Many people keep the hybrid layers for years quite successfully. I’m not trying to say that you are guaranteed to have problems with them, just that they are more prone to these problems than dual purpose or other chickens that are not as specialized.

I really don’t know what is going on with your chickens. Even if I were there looking at them I would not be sure. I certainly hope that they have not cranked up yet. Patience is probably your best friend. Good luck!

 

[EggresiveAli]

Okay thanks! I live 10-15 minutes away from Glasgow, the weathers great! Have a good time!

 

[jmonkeyx]

I would avoid Orkney it is not a.great place for weather and not much to do. I was there last year.