Just Stopped Laying??

[TK Poultry]

I'm very concerned that my Bantam BBS Ameraucanas are just done laying. September I was getting 4 eggs a day (4 hens) now I've gotten maybe 3 eggs in two months! They were going through a pretty rough molt so I put them on a higher protein diet to kind of help them out and maybe speed up this process! They went from 16% to 20% protein, not a huge increase. I did introduce a cockerel on the weekend of Oct. 23 but they were on a laying slump before then and have laid ONE egg since then. This cockerel is starting to cover his ladies pretty well and I want to hatch some babies because I have some stellar lines out there! My Wheaten pen really hasn't laid either but I brought them home on the 23rd as well. Any explanation? Am I SOL trying to get eggs before spring? (I sure hope not!)

edited to say: I thought that they were pretty much done. I haven't seen any feathers (like I was) for a while now. Could they still be molting???

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Probably two months or so isn't that long a time for some chickens--they'll come back gradually--not as many eggs but bigger.

 

[Payette]

I may be wrong, but sometimes hens stop laying when they are either molting or in the winter. One of my friend's bantams stopped laying for a few months, and went right back to laying. We have no idea why it stopped laying, it just did. Hope this helped!

 

[TK Poultry]

Well I might not get my test hatch in with my new cockerel after all then before spring! I wanted to raise a couple babies from him just as a preview but oh well they are healthy and happy!