hen's quit laying

[Bokbok]

My hens are a year and a half old, and have been laying for well over a year. I went on vacation for a week, asking a friend to feed them, and when I came back three of them quit laying. They were laying when I was gone, apparently, but once I got back not a single egg from the three of them. They also are not scratching through their alfalfa like they usually to, it is sitting in the same clump I left it in a couple days ago, when normally they would have plowed through that in an hour. Other than that they seem fine. They wander around and do all the other usual stuff. One is a Auracana, and two are Australorps. I have an Orpington in a separate chicken tractor, (she's a little aggressive) and she continues to lay nearly every day on the same ration of food. What else can I say? Sometimes I give them kitchen scraps. While I was on vacation they didn't get any scraps or treats. They have gone maybe 9 days now without laying.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I had the same prob with my hen who was a year and a half. Turns out she was moulting. She stopped laying for a little over a month and yesterday we got an egg fro her. Today another egg. Is your hen losing some of her longer tail feathers? That's what my hen did. She had a little stubby tail left LOL now her long feathers are also coming back in. She was also more grouchy with the others hens at bed time when she was moulting.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Why are they NOT given laying pellets ?

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Just thought of something else...are they laying someplace else? Under a tree? OR in the bushes? Are they getting layer pellets? Oyster shell?

 

[Bokbok]

Yes they are getting laying pellets, sorry i didn't mention it. They are in a chicken tractor so the eggs aren't being hid. One, the auracana, could possibly be moulting, as she does seem to be losing feathers, but what about the other two. Could three hens go into moulting on the same day in the middle of summer? I thought that happened in winter/

 

[debilorrah]

have yet for all mine to lay - 6 hens and 2 eggs. WHO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!

 

[Macy]

I have 10 red sex links that are eight (8) months old that began laying this past May. For some strange reason they have not layed an egg in the last week. I am told that extremely hot weather can sometimes slow egg production. Could this be the problem? Tropical storm Fay just came through my area twice within 48 hours as well. Could this have compounded the situation? Could they be moulting already? Help! :|

 

[Beekissed]

My hens all started moulting this week and egg production dropped sharply. This is the first molting for this year and I was wondering when they were going to do so. Seemed like they stopped laying in just two days instead of a gradual tapering off, like before. Seems all but 2 of the gals are in sync....sort of like women who all work or live together...

 

[hungryhensfarm]

Quote:
I changed my username. I used to be Macy. The feed store I buy layer from stopped carrying

the layer I started my hens on. After a while I realized that they had stopped laying almost

immediately after I started feeding them the replacement. I found another feed store that

carried the original layer and started traveling a good ways to purchase it. Some of my girls

went back to laying real soon but soon it became really cold and they stopped for winter.

I kept feeding it to them and once it warmed up enough they started laying again. They've

turned into laying machines and some that weren't laying yet last year have started this

year. I could not be more thrilled.

 

[chiknlady]

Check them for parasites as well, --lice, scaly leg mite, etc as they will stop laying if they are infested or their nest boxes are not clean or if something is itching them...My money is on moulting, but rule out all other possibilities as well--Maybe they just missed you,