is there an egg laying cycle??

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

By GLW just started laying, she gave us about 12 eggs then stopped! been almost 2 weeks now with no eggs. is this how it works or is she done for the winter?

 

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

bump.... please

 

[Tiss]

I don't have a good answer for you and have been unable to find one. I have a March-hatch BR pullet who laid for over a month and now hasn't laid for almost 2.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

There are lots of things that effect laying.. Change, weather, seasons, surroundings, food, health and age. Change-has there been any? Did she get new room mates? Is the dog chasing her? Did you change food? Weather, has it been dark and grey for weeks? Seasons, we have less daylight hours! Surroundings, did you move her or add something to her coop/yard? Food--changes, less free range time?? Health, has she been sick or moving slowly.. Have you checked for mites, pest, worms? and Age-- If she is new to laying it might take her a while to get going.. If she is older, she might take more breaks...and MOLT---complete shut down in some girls--are you seeing tons of feathers the same color as she is??? And---Is there any way she is hiding them? Could you have a snake or rat or other pest problem that could be stealing eggs??

Good luck w/ find the source of your lack of eggs...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Not from experience but heard that Wyandottes lay through the winter. 2 weeks seems a long period for no eggs. I would'nt say it's lighting as my girls started laying a week and half ago and we're in northern NH. Is there a chance they found a new place to lay you've not discovered? Our leghorn was rather upset I took her warm egg a few minutes ago and would'nt be surprised if she did'nt lay in nest tomorrow. Could here her squalking still after I entered the house!

 

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

no changes, nothing new, she is healthy and well. hummm , I didnt know if they just took time off or not. oh wait,one thing did change my broody silkie started to lay again a few days ago could that be it? oh well I'll just wait and see i guess.. no fun not getting the eggs

 

[HHandbasket]

I don't know if there's an egg-laying cycle, as I am fairly new to all this, but I have heard egg production will decrease when the days get shorter.

This has been a funny year for livestock of all sorts, not just chooks--but the subtle temperature and climate changes have caused all kinds of funky things in the world of farming. Everyone here locally whose pullets were born in April is still waiting on eggs. Maybe a few chooks here and there are laying, but this is November and most of my pullets are still not laying, even though they were hatched in April. Even my leghorn--who I got because she supposedly would start laying between 15-18 weeks of age, was in her 22nd week before she laid even one. Then she laid for 6 weeks like clockwork, was the most lovey-dovey bird, and some of you may have read her memorial on BYC--she got eggbound Monday and passed away very quickly. My EE is my only bird laying now. She is older than the rest of the flock and is about 32 weeks now, has been laying for two weeks. The rest of my flock (welsummer, RIR, BR) don't even have combs or wattles yet, and they're almost 8 months old! I know at least one other local BYCer whose chooks are a week or two older than mine, and she has no eggs yet, either. My wellie has had lots of health problems and has spent as much of her life on antibiotics as off of them, so I don't know how much longer we'll have her or whether or not she'll ever lay at all. She's the same age as the rest of the flock but is much smaller because of all the time she's spent being ill in her little life so far.

There have been a lot of posts lately (not just on this chicken forum but others, as well) from folks whose pullets started laying this year and then abruptly stopped a month or two later. I cannot help but feel it has something to do with the climate change. Seems to be a fairly common problem this year. I hope your girl starts laying again pretty soon and hope she doesn't get eggbound! Keep us posted.

 

[woodmort]

Every chicken seems to have a different cycle, some lay every day, some alternate, some lay erratically. There really isn't a good answer to your question except to wait her out. One thing about this kind of problem--and maybe why it shows up here so often--is that with a large flock of birds the owner probably never notices this kind of slowdown/stoppage. But, if you only have a few birds it is noticeable. As long as she is a young bird and in good health she'll start again.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

if your birds do not have 12-14 hours of light they go into a winter rest, some breeds will lay off and on through the winter but the only breed i can think of thats not as dependent on the light cycle is the Dorking they like winter. But a change in season, different feed, no more free range, a differnt coop, even just closing up for winter can stop a hen from laying, plus some just lay off and on all the time.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Quote:
It's happening in dogs too - I have show dogs and the whole community is having a terrible year. Females never ovulate, litters are lost, odd whelpings. Never seen anything like it; I have a very hardy free-whelping breed with great fertility and all of a sudden nobody can get puppies (me included - I had already paid for shipped semen and the girl on day 15 (!) decided she wasn't in heat after all). I know puppy buyers who are on their third breeders, having been passed along from one to the next as litters didn't get conceived or didn't make it.