molting again?

[vtchickenlady]

Hey there,

My hens just turned 1 year in April. They went through their first molt back in February and didn't lay for 6 weeks. Now they're not laying again. Its been 2 weeks. It looks like a couple hens could be molting again but none are laying. Is there anything I can do? They are on layer feed. I live in Vermont so heat isn't an issue right now. Should I stop allowing them to free range? Also, they get a ton of greens from my local store. Could it be that they are getting too much green and not enough feed?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check out this site for clues as to why your hens may have stopped laying.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1097/2902-1097.pdf

 

[vtchickenlady]

Thanks, that was a good read. Now I'm wondering if our 8 month old border collie has something to do with it. He's always wanting to herd them when they're free ranging. Sometimes they even fly up in the air to get away. He sits by the pen all the time and watches them. Do you think they could be really stressed out from this? I figured they were all used to him by now and had just learned to deal with his puppy-ways.

 

[ewesfullchicks]

You didn't mention if you had roosters.

As a nutritionist, I always think in protein requirements...

Any time there is huge body requirements on protein then feathers are going to suffer.

However, there is also a mechanical means - if Roosters are constantly mounting hens, then they will become bald on the saddle area.

If hens are going broody, they will not eat enough to support basic body health. When you pick up a hen, you can actually "feel" the nutritional health of the hen by the feather feel. If they are protein/calorie malnourished the feathers feel brittle, and are sparse. Of course, this will also be reflected by weight loss.

However...all these demands require more protein. Egg production requires HUGE protein requirements.

Often I see that people economize on feeding their hens by using old bread, and nearly spoiled produce. Neither of which will give any protein value.

As a Registered Dietitian, it is a surprise to me that people understand that people cannot build muscles without protein, but fail to understand that hens cannot build eggs (which are almost pure protein) without a dietary source of protein!

Therefore....whether you have a hen that is looking ratty feather wise, or is producing too small eggs for their breed - look at their protein intake.

 

[Judy]

My first suspicion is that they are laying just fine, and you just don't know where.

 

[vtchickenlady]

I'm pretty sure they would lay in the coop. They only free range for and hour or 2 per day. However, they get a ton of veggie scraps from my local grocery store. At least one (sometimes 2) 5 gal. buckets every other day. We have 1 roo with 10 hens. He's lusty but I don't see signs of wearing them out. Do you think they're getting too much greens?

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Excellent points! I really worry about the protein content of these feeds. I don't trust mainstream dog food makers at all, so why should I believe that the protein content of my layer mash is sufficient?

Treats are fun, and help teach them to come when called, or whatever. I'm not going to stop giving treats. It's so easy to give a bread heel or throw out a handful of scratch, and I do these things, but I also hunt for ways to provide a protein snack as often as I can. I suspect they need it.

Bottom line: protein is usually expensive.

Where I live, many chicken owners let the chickens truly free range, offer table scraps, and let the chickens find most of their own food. If they offer anything else, it is cracked corn. I could drive abut 2 miles and buy "chicken feed" on a farm. It is pure cracked corn. Maybe what saves them is that the chickens find enough bugs and worms.