Ladies on strike!

[aart]

My 4- 2 yr old girls quit laying about 10-12 weeks ago. Since then, one went through a hard molt and 2 others have molted a bit but that was about a month ago. They get plenty of protein, greens, bugs, etc. Their combs are very pale. Should I be concerned? They seem happy enough, talk to me, and just do chick stuff. The weather has been weird to say the least- 20’s to 50’s. I’m in Maine.

It's the length of daylight that will prompt them to start laying again.
That will start to increase here in a week, tho it may take another few weeks for it to produce eggs.

 

[Timmy1975]

My hens quit laying and an old man told me to put them through a hardship. What ? He said do not feed them for a week. I said No Way. But i tried and after three days i could not stand it. I started back feeding them They started back to laying eggs everyday, every hen.

 

[aart]

My hens quit laying and an old man told me to put them through a hardship. What ? He said do not feed them for a week. I said No Way. But i tried and after three days i could not stand it. I started back feeding them They started back to laying eggs everyday, every hen.

How old are these birds @Timmy1975 ?
Do you use supplemental lighting?

 

[PopoMyers]

It's the length of daylight that will prompt them to start laying again.
That will start to increase here in a week, tho it may take another few weeks for it to produce eggs.

We are on the same latitude so daylight is one of the factors. This is my girls' first molt. Only now getting 2-3 eggs from 8. I will wait and see, so they get a little egg break. If they aren't all laying again by say, February, then I'll be concerned.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We are on the same latitude so daylight is one of the factors. This is my girls' first molt. Only now getting 2-3 eggs from 8. I will wait and see, so they get a little egg break. If they aren't all laying again by say, February, then I'll be concerned.

You may get a couple birds that take longer to get going than February, so I wouldn't worry too much if that's the case, though maybe not this year if they're all on the younger side.

 

[Timmy1975]

How old are these birds @Timmy1975 ?
Do you use supplemental lighting?

It was 40 years ago so my have to go by memory. They were full grown when i got them. No lights. They were in an open pen out in the pasture. It sounds crude but it worked.