I have 40 plus chickens. some are a year old, some are 2 years old.

[Opa]

I think your hens would do much better if you were to give them feed formulated for laying. It will be labeled 16% layer pellet or crumble. I find I have less wasted food when I feed pellets. In regard to the hen with the "sag" could you submit pictures. I'm sure that with additional information someone will have an answer. The right age for eating is dependent upon breed and personal preference. I have butchered old birds for stewing hens and 2 lb cockerels for "cornish".

 

[leslie]

the food i give them is 22 percent laying pellets. Seemed to me that it would have more of the good stuff in it than 16 percent..but i will change.
Ive been told that the crushed corn in the scratch is to blame for this problem.??????
IVe been told that all the girls would not molt at the same time????????
They are not eating them???????
They are not hiding them????????
Their combs are not red??? tho they are older experienced hens?????
The rooster ignores them all except for the ONE hen who has red comb.?????
They are not stresed to my knowledge or should not be??????????
They have fresh water every morning and evening??????????

I will make some pix today..ive been up since 3am. its 5 now.. will have to wait.

i took the 18 extra roos out of the pen.. various ages but felt it could be a problem. they were not actively being roos.
hens came from se veral sources... some i hatched myself.. some from co-op some from neighbor.
some of the hens were laying prior to this "strike". tho not over doing it i did get 8 a day somedays.. i have the layers marked with a ring around their leg and these girls now have pink combs and the roo ignores them and no eggs.
the others have never laid..they were hatched on halloweeen last year. some others were hatched this last spring. all are at least 20 weeks old. most are 1 year old. some 2 years old. one egg in 4 days. it was chalky and rough they get oyster shell free choice all the time.

 

[leslie]

I guess yall gave up too..
i do not have egg eaters.
i do not hve hiden nest.
they are eating well
they are not stressed
how can 29 hens molt at the same time.

whats with the pink combs?
why is the roo ignoring all but one hen.

how long can they go without laying til i should take drastic action?
please.

 

[MissPrissy]

Where are you in this big world we live in?

Yes, all 29 chickens can and will molt at the same time. It is this time of the year that they do molt and stop laying.

How many hours of sunlight are they getting?

Show us photos of your chickens. What breeds do you have?

They don't need more than 16% protein feeds. If they free range you cannot say with assurance they are not hiding a nest or eggs from you. Chickens are wiley and sneaky.

 

[Opa]

We haven't given up on you and don't give up on your chickens. Hens that are laying will have a very brightly colored comb and wattle. It is also quite common for a rooster to have one particular favorite. As for ignoring the others unless you are with them constantly I bet he covers many of the other as well. If you are free ranging and your hens combs are bright keep looking for eggs. They can be very adept at hiding them in placing you wouldn't think that they would even go in.

 

[LynneP]

Are you in a position to create a run for them so you can study them and solve the problem? I'm betting that you're spending for extra protein and that when you can see the girls more easily you'll figure out what's happening.

 

[PotterWatch]

Have they been wormed? Do they possibly have parasites?

 

[leslie]

No.. I have never wormed them. What would I use?
I added a light on a timer. comes on at 3am and off at 7am. Its day 3 now and today I got 3 eggs. All of them from young chickens. very small anyway.
My dH says that it was too fast. That a chicken would take more time than that for the light to make a difference. ????
I have the hens in a small fenced area to assure myself that they were not hiding the eggs. They surely would have laid by now..
I placed pigeon egg s in the nest and they did not eat them.

I just dont know unless its moult..and I was told that al lof them would not go into moult at the same time. maybe a few at a time so I dont know maybe that is it.. I have noticed many fluffly feathers in the hen house. much more than normal.
I think the l ight will help some. thanks all for your input.. Ill keep you posted..

Im in southern tennessee near alabama line..

 

[Opa]

I'm glad that you have your birds in an enclosed area. Not allowing them to free range for awhile will definitively answer the question "are they hiding eggs?"

You might want to check out www.firststatevetsupply.com They have an excellent health section that might answer some of your questions.

I dust the inside of my coop with DE diatomaceous earth, I sprinkle some in the "dust bowls" that the chickens create. This will take care of external parasites. I also occasionally light dust their food. It will work as a wormer. You could pick up some Piperazine 17% liquid from Tractor Supply Company or order it on line. It's a pretty easy to use wormer for round worms.

As Miss Prissy stated most if not all of the birds wil molt at the same time and egg production will be off or cease. If your birds are like mine you will have no doubt that they are molting. They look pretty shabby.

 

[joanc]

Maybe try some wooden/fake eggs in the nests and keep them in the run for a few days. That might encourage them to lay in the nests.
Or if they are moulting you just need to be patient.
My girls do fine on the 16% layer feed and a few hours of free ranging every day.
Good luck.