Molting and winter

[freedomlady]

I have 29 chickens and 24 of them are hens. 5 of them are this years babies. They did start moulting about two months ago. When should they pick back up in production?
This means that I should have 19 hens laying eggs. I am lucky to get 1 egg a day right now. I was getting at least 10 to 13 eggs a day.
I have been told that putting cayenne in their feed helps. Has anyone had any experience with this and how much do you use?
I am feeding organic scratch and layer with mealworms.
I need help getting my egg production up.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most chickens molt between August and December. Most take 2-5 months off depending on breed. Production is always down under decreasing daylight. Production will pick up after the winter solstice. If you are where it's cold in winter that will affect production too as bird use energy to keep warm.

Feeding layer, which is generally 16% with scratch can dilute the protein took much. I feed a higher protein feed which has helped to optimize production while still allowing me to feed scratch. 18-22% is best. An all flock or non medicated starter grower can work well with a separate bowl of oyster shells.

You can't do much to make them lay. Chickens follow a natural cycle based on light. Some people add extra light, but if done incorrectly it doesn't always work. Most hens need some time off to build up their depleted reserves.

 

[Folly's place]

I do use a light in my coop; it's on a timer, 4am to 8am every morning from October to Early April. My birds molt in late summer through now, depending on the individual, and egg production is definitely lower in winter anyway.
I have 31 hens of different ages, and 9 pullets, and am now getting 9 to 15 eggs per day. Usually. Some days last month, 5 eggs, and once this week, 17.
Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have 29 chickens and 24 of them are hens. 5 of them are this years babies.... When should they pick back up in production?

This means that I should have 19 hens laying eggs. I am lucky to get 1 egg a day right now. I was getting at least 10 to 13 eggs a day....

I have been told that putting cayenne in their feed helps. Has anyone had any experience with this and how much do you use?

I am feeding organic scratch and layer with mealworms.
I need help getting my egg production up.

If your older birds are currently molting then it is quite likely that your 5 young birds are the only ones that are currently in production.
This years birds only go through a juvenile or partial molt. Historically so called Heritage breeds only laid about 6 to 8 dozens of eggs per year, production breeds 300 eggs and up. This Heritage number is figured after deducting 3 months for the annual molt and up to 5 more months for brooding and sitting time and going broody or getting over broodiness. Depending on the age, and the strain of your hens your egg production is somewhere in the range of "Low Normal" Look for it to pick up in February or even as late as April depending on the age and breed of your hens.

Cayenne pepper is supposed to be good for everything that ails uncle John. If this old wives tail was true then the types of hot peppers even hotter than Cayenne should cure cancer. All birds to my knowledge dearly love eating red hot peppers and they will eat ripe hot peppers by the hand fulls. So that also shoots down the old wives tail that you can break a hen from egg eating by packing an empty eggshell full of Cayenne pepper.