Keep my hens from the soup--why aren't they laying?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Has anyone ever had a really loooong moult? Our hens stopped laying around Christmas. They moulted, with feathers everywhere. Now they all look great. But still no e g g s. I have 25 hens, and yesterday I got 4 e g g s.

If they don't start laying in the next 3 weeks, they're outta here. I can't keep feeding them, with no e g g s to pay for the feed!

What can I do to get these girls to lay?

Here's the basic info:

*They are all about 25 months old
*They get 16 hours of light a day. When we saw them start to moult we turned off their lights so they'd have a break, left the lights off for 3 weeks, and then brought them back to 16 hours. No dice.
*They free range.
*They get fed Layena and treats
*I've never wormed them--is this the problem?

Help me and my girls out! I like many of these chickens and don't want to butcher or put them on Craig's List.

Thanks,

Erika

 

[debilorrah]

I am not sure about the molt, but I have one that went on strike at the end of October and has YET to start up again.

 

[Superman11383]

My dad usually goes out to the Hen house and puts on a little Tom Jones. Apparently that makes all the girls lay.

 

[Mahonri]

My two leghorns quit two weeks ago. I don't know how to get them to lay, between them they were giving me 11 eggs a week... now they are looking like stewing hens.

 

[Jubaby]

I have a young hen who just started laying in November. Now has not layed an e g g in a month. I know she's not moulting yet. Can't figure this one out either????

 

[katrinag]

I would look around the house and see if maybe they are hiding them. Can you lock them in the coop area for a coulpe days to make sure that they are not hiding them anywhere.

For me if they do not lay they go. I have them for a reason.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We've looked really carefully for hidden eggs, and during January and February they didn't really step a foot outside in the snow, so I don't think they're hiding them.

I agree, if they don't lay eggs, they go. But what a bite to cull 25 month old hens, with what we've invested in them.

Any ideas anyone?

 

[Backyard Buddies]

I have one EE who didn't lay for nearly 7 months. She was 3 years old on the 27th of March. Since resuming in the middle of February, she's been averaging 4 - 5 e g g s a week. All of my girls slowed or stopped completely and one girl had soft shells and no shelled e g g s at the same time.

My personal theory is that it was a bad batch of food. Both bags I bought came from the same pallet. It looked and smelled differently than usual. I suspect it was just a production mistake.

I'm now getting 13 - 14 e g g s per week. Not too bad for 3 girls who're now 3 years old.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Im having the same problem, no luck with any good answers. I give up. Either they will lay or they won't. I hate for them to have to go to the freezer at only 12 months old.

 

[DMBAK]

It's a good idea to look around the house. I found e g g s under an elevated woodpile in my sugar shack when I started making maple syrup a few weeks ago. The e g g s were frozen in the ground. My chickens free ranged last fall and I guess one of the girls liked the sugar shack better than the nesting box.