hen's quit laying

[Nija Chick]

ok my10 hens are two years old, white roasters. of whatever breed that is. and I have a one year old Americana roo. they have been laying steady for mom for the past two years, even in the winter. I brought them home about 3 months ago, and they have been eating completely organic since then, (no commercial feed at all) they are free ranging all day, dawn to dark in a field 120'x100. with more grass, weeds, bugs and forest brush then they can eat. I also crush fresh oyster shell for them. they are getting 14+hours of daylight, being that it is almost May and lots of fresh water. they were laying 5-10 eggs a day every day since I brought them home, but have been arguing with them about where to lay, they have been trying to hide them from me in the salal bushes, so we trimmed the bushes hee hee. but now they have dwindled the past week down to none today and yesterday

I can't see where they could be hiding them, I know all their spots, they don't seam to be molting, when do chickens molt anyway? they are eating all day, and fighting over the worms, so what could it be?

 

[ghillie]

Chickens can molt anytime but usually in the fall. Mine all molted in the dead of winter this year. My guess is they are laying in a spot you have not found yet!

 

[Nija Chick]

do they absolutely NEED to be fed some "chicken food? or is the grass/bugs/oyster shell, enough? do they need more protein? should i get them some supplement bugs? or some organic food? I think they need something, my roo is keepin his tail down

he doesn't look happy, but the hen's look fine and fat.

Hmmmmmmm.