I would really love to have eggs again.... Help..

[duckie mama]

i don'T know about anywhere else but at 18 months in Texas because of the heat chickens will molt! If not molt then it is snakes or rats sulhur mixed with lime will help!

 

[Loghousemom]

I have 6 eighteen month old hens (several breeds). They slowed down during the summer when we had some wicked heat, but about a month ago, I introduced 2 three month old hens and since then we've been getting a dwindling supply, down from about 5 a day to 1-2 every other day. I can tell they don't "like" the new girls (won't let them out into the run for one thing), but how long until everyone settles down and gets back to work? Will it help when the new 2 start laying in the coming weeks? Anything I can do to speed this along? The wife is starting to think chicken soup if she can't have her fresh egg omelettes.

Thanks!

Everything I have read says not to mix flocks of differing ages until the hens are all the same size. A while back I personally added 4 gals who were a full year older than my chicks who are now almost 5 months old. I kept them in a separate pen for the first week. I knew these birds and was not concerned about illness so I just penned them off inside the coup so the originals could see them but not peck at them. They were older, but smaller than my 5 month olds and I had no problems, but if you are adding young small birds to an established flock you will have problems as they adjust. It is best to separate for everyone's safety.

[COLOR=800080]Im having the same problem ![/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]My girls are all over 1.5 years old, different laying breeds, then one leghorn . She is the only one still laying..[/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]I have Them in various flocks, but they stopped laying about a week ago, and they are not molting and they get all the healthy nutrients and a little dog food sometimes, and Nothing.[/COLOR]

I was told Most chickens go into their first molt around 18 months. (So yours should be close) i have heard that it is 4 months or so, of reduced to no lay. Excessive heat that most of the country has had also can cause reduced laying. The last idea I would have is that the shorter days can also cause reduced laying. You could try keeping a light on a timer to ensure they are getting 14 to 15 hours of "daylight". All of that is of course only going to help if you are certain there are no mice, rats, snakes or other things getting in to eat your eggs before you get them. Be sure to check their legs and under their feathers for mites as well. Pretty much all the ideas I've got .

 

[chick123600]

Well, I had posted this on facebook, and I had someone suggest to bring in a hen or two and keep them in a large kennel with hay food and water and try different things to get them to start laying, I did and I got my first two eggs, since about April, from my two Japanese hens yesterday. I have only had them in the house for like 3 days. I'm so excited to have fresh eggs again!

 

[farmer boy]

this happened to me but i found a few different nests outside but i only get 2 eggs a day im really lucky to get 3 eggs .. 5 are laying one is a momma with two babies so wont get any eggs from her for a bit ... and they rest are just getting close to the age to lay .. but its getting colder and not as much as light anymore .. i live in canada so idk

 

[Chicks on DL]

My BO is now laying regularly again. I made sure there were extra feeders and water available in case the BR at the top of the pecking order was keeping her from getting enough to eat. Everything seems back to normal, but it is time to move the coop again. We'll see what happens.