Just curious about pullets not laying..

[Chquinta]

I'm wondering why that new white barred rock is not laying anymore she layed the same day I brought her home and couple days after now I haven't gotten an egg in over 3 weeks the only thing I can see is that her comb and waddles are a pale pink now instead of red when she was fist here also her poop is good no worms or anything.

Do you think I have to many pullets for 1 rooster. Should I maybe separate the new 5 chickens I bought and get another rooster. I have 13 hens to 1 rooster.

 

[Chquinta]

Adding all the new chickens causes stress, which can affect laying....and you could have brought a disease/pests in with them.

Well I did quarantined them for 30 days to make sure they didn't have anything I could see like lice/mites I didn't work them but there poop has been normal.

I'm thinking I will separate them so I can know if any of the new 5 which 2 austrolops are not yet they should be within the next weeks to come but the white barred rock was laying but the other 2 which are reds I haven't seen go in the nesting boxes but I'm not going out there often to see them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It could be a lot of different things or maybe a combination of things. The high heat is definitely a possibility.

A very common cause of hens not laying is that they are hiding nests. If they free range, oh, boy, good luck! But they can be pretty creative hiding a nest in the run or coop.

Some hens lay almost every day, some not so much. It’s not that unusual to get quite a bit of fluctuation if you have hens that lay every two or three days.

If your hens laid throughout the winter, with or without extra light, they may just be burned out and needing to rest. Commercial laying hens go through a laying cycle. They ramp up to top production pretty fast once they start but then gradually drop off in production the longer they lay. Usually after about 13 to 14 months they are down to about 60% of peak production. They may go through a mini-molt to rest before they resume production.

I don’t know how long ago you did those integrations but that can throw them off for a while. It may even cause enough stress to kick off a mini-molt. Running out of water for a day, changes to coop or run, changes in feeding, just about any changes can kick off a mini-molt if it causes them stress.

It’s always possible that something is getting some of the eggs. Many things will leave traces behind but some things will take them and not leave a clue. Possums, skunks, raccoons, rats, or even the chickens normally leave clues.

A snake does not leave a clue but they are inconsistent. A snake will show up, eat however many eggs he can hold, and leave for a few days while he digests them. Then he returns.

A canine will eat eggs whole. You’d think a fox or coyote would be more interested in the chickens but a dog may very well eat eggs and leave the chickens alone. Do you have a family pet that has found out the egg song means a snack?

A human will not leave a clue.

What can you do? If the hens free range try locking them in the coop or coop and run for a few days if you can. If you suddenly get a consistent increase in eggs, then you know they are either hiding a nest or you locked some egg eater out.

Try putting a few marked eggs down here. If they disappear you know something is getting them.

It’s probably just the heat.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don’t worry about a hen to rooster ratio. Having too many hens for the rooster is absolutely not a problem. Don’t disturb them even more by separating some out. Leave them alone so they can stabilize as a flock.

Many people have very low hen to rooster ratios and have absolutely no problems from that. In my opinion the importance of hen to rooster ratios is greatly exaggerated on this forum especially of the rooster is mature. A young cockerel can be quite disruptive but the ratio has nothing to do with that.

 

[Dustystrail]

Adding all the new chickens causes stress, which can affect laying....and you could have brought a disease/pests in with them.

That is probably a big contributor too. Probably why the barred rock quit.
I would guess the heat to be the biggest factor. We don't hit 90 much here but the humidity makes it hard to breathe in the 80s and my birds definitely decrease/increase laying with the weather. I also have several that have started to molt.
The rooster won't make a difference in their laying especially since it doesn't sound like he is bothering them much. Too many roosters can stress them. I've had that problem when I didn't get my surplus cockerels culled fast enough but that resulted in a lot of broken egg messes instead of decreased laying.

 

[Chquinta]

It could be a lot of different things or maybe a combination of things. The high heat is definitely a possibility.

A very common cause of hens not laying is that they are hiding nests. If they free range, oh, boy, good luck! But they can be pretty creative hiding a nest in the run or coop.

Some hens lay almost every day, some not so much. It’s not that unusual to get quite a bit of fluctuation if you have hens that lay every two or three days.

If your hens laid throughout the winter, with or without extra light, they may just be burned out and needing to rest. Commercial laying hens go through a laying cycle. They ramp up to top production pretty fast once they start but then gradually drop off in production the longer they lay. Usually after about 13 to 14 months they are down to about 60% of peak production. They may go through a mini-molt to rest before they resume production.

I don’t know how long ago you did those integrations but that can throw them off for a while. It may even cause enough stress to kick off a mini-molt. Running out of water for a day, changes to coop or run, changes in feeding, just about any changes can kick off a mini-molt if it causes them stress.

It’s always possible that something is getting some of the eggs. Many things will leave traces behind but some things will take them and not leave a clue. Possums, skunks, raccoons, rats, or even the chickens normally leave clues.

A snake does not leave a clue but they are inconsistent. A snake will show up, eat however many eggs he can hold, and leave for a few days while he digests them. Then he returns.

A canine will eat eggs whole. You’d think a fox or coyote would be more interested in the chickens but a dog may very well eat eggs and leave the chickens alone. Do you have a family pet that has found out the egg song means a snack?

A human will not leave a clue.

What can you do? If the hens free range try locking them in the coop or coop and run for a few days if you can. If you suddenly get a consistent increase in eggs, then you know they are either hiding a nest or you locked some egg eater out.

Try putting a few marked eggs down here. If they disappear you know something is getting them.

It’s probably just the heat.

Thanks I think it might be the heat.

I have looked around the coop to make sure they are not laying eggs else where as I usually keep them in the coop/run which is I closed but occasionally I let them out to free range while I'm outside but they usually will go back in the coop to lay there eggs. I have moved around the nesting boxes and added some crates for nesting boxes which is different also I changed to pine shavings instead of hay but they didn't like that at all so I changed it all back cuz I noticed they didn't like it. I usually pick up all the eggs up around 5 cuz they have all laid by then I don't really let the kids get the eggs just cuz we have had some accidents, not rodents during the day at night I do get opossums that get in but they eat there feed and I kill them that night. I have a lil shih tzu but I never let her in the run and she is never out when I let them free range.

 

[Dustystrail]

Sounds like your doing a good job and they're just a bit stressed. Probably just need a little time and some cooler weather. I would pay attention for anything that could be an illness but doesn't sound like that is a problem. You might also check them for mites and lice. Pick a couple that you're pretty sure aren't laying and check around their vents. Also works to shine a light on their face at night and watch for creapy crawlies.