Keep or kill?

[chicken boy123]

Hi there! I was wondering If it would be worth Rhode Island Reggie. The reason I'm thinking about getting Rid of that is that they are not Laying, but then again they maybe molting. However there Coombs are a kind of dull pinkish color, does that mean that their to old to lay? Or is this a sign of molting? Please respond!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Most chickens stop laying this time of year. Do you have a light in the coop? How old is the hen? Do you have a picture you can post? Molting can play a big part in laying too. Also it's hard to tell if comb color has any bearing without a picture.

It's hard to help much without a bit more info.

 

[Whittni]

Pale combs could also be a sign of mites, check under their feathers because mites also cause chickens to stop laying.

 

[sumi]

There are a few possible reasons. One is the short daylight hours which is why many of our hens are not laying much if at all this time of the year. Hens need around 14 hours of light per day to keep them in production. I've put together a list of the most common causes here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-behaviours-and-egg-laying-why-are-my-hens-not-laying

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Your choice depends on their age, egg-laying history, whether you have lights on, and especially whether they are pets or livestock to you.

I haven't had an egg from my three 3-year olds since august when they all started a hard molt that lasted all fall; then it's been cold/dark and although I turn on a light in the coop in the morning when I feed them and turn it out when they go on the roost about 4 pm, they only have about 9 hours light.

Their combs are also quite pale. They seem to be eating and pooping normally, no lice or mites when I've checked; they also don't seem to want to go outdoors if it is cold or windy. We don't have any snow on the ground yet, but they don't even spend much time in their covered run. I just figure they are menopausal . . .

Ours are pets, so we'll just keep them.

 

[Mattemma]

My 2 year old EE's stopped laying 3 months ago.The 3yo RSL hen stopped laying last year,or maybe the year before.I added a light to the coop 2 weeks ago,and the EE's started to lay yesterday. I would add a light and see if they start up.

 

[TallChickMagnet]

Well, for me my birds are pets first and worker secondary... It would be like getting rid of my dog because she is fixed...