We recently added a rooster to my flock. After his introduction laying slowed down ( was expecting this due to changes etc etc). The question I have is how long after a change like that will it take for my girls to pick back up? I was getting on average 5/6 eggs a day out of 6 layers. Could the cold snap we had a few weeks ago compounded this? If so bout how long? Think it won't pick back up until spring?
It may well be the cold snap more than your new boy. Either way, it's likely to be a waiting game until the weather makes up its mind as to when it should be winter or spring. All the best Ct
It may just be coincidental. But, is your new roo gentle or rough on the girls? Tell us how he behaves with them. Is he following them into the coop when they need to lay? Is he chasing them constantly around the run? How much room do they have to get away from him? A big piece of information would be to tell us where you live, or just fill in your profile. That way we know how long your daylight is at present. How old are your layers? How long had they been laying up until they quit? How long have they been off their laying since they last laid? Are you supplementing light if you live in the northern hemisphere? Have they recently molted? We would love to help, but you need to fill in the blanks for us or we're all just going to be taking wild shots.
Sorry about that, My girls are about 8 months old. The Rooster is really gentle actually compared to what I have seen roosters do. One of the girls put him in his place shortly after he arrived and he is slowly working up the pecking order. They have a large run and a coop big enough for 15 or so birds. Right now yes I am using supplemental lighting, A couple of the ladies have only laid like twice in the past few weeks. It was actually christmas day that we introduced the roo and had two good days of laying after that. He really doesn't chase the girls much and doesn't follow them into the nesting area. Really how he interacts is more by doing his little dance every chance he gets lol. The girls really don't seem stressed much. I live in washington state.
If everyone is content and seems in good health, not molting, not stressed, then they are taking their well-earned vacations from laying. This occurs at regular intervals for some individuals, and how long it lasts before they resume laying is also individual. I have a Cochin, who considers herself a privileged diva, who lays for a few weeks and takes months off before she consents to get back to work. My guess is your crew will be back to laying normally within a few weeks time.
