molting????

[pigfarmer]

I have 7 Brown Leghorn hens... they are currently a little over 1 1/2 yrs old. They have stopped producing eggs last October/November.
Their egg production was going down hill in September. I have added additional chickens to the coop (which was new for all in Oct).
The hens appear healthy, eat/drink and do all the regular chicken stuff.
They have not lost much, if any feathers. They are just not laying anything but POOP!!!!

I am really close to culling them

I have increased protein in the diet.

Any suggestions/ideas???

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

some chickens stop laying at about 2 years old, and yours may be stopping for good, or just an egg here or there. But that might not be the case.

Also is there light available in the coop?

 

[pigfarmer]

I have recently added power to the coop and did add a lamp. They now have light from 5am to 8pm.
The light has been on now for about 2wks.
My other girls are laying fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The first link may help you decide if they are indeed molting. As it says, sometimes a molt can last for months.

Mississippi State describes molting
http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

These sites discusses them stoppping laying. If it is not molting, you may see something in them that helps.

Virginia Tech – Stopped Laying
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1097/2902-1097.pdf

Florida – Stopped Laying –
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ps/ps02900.pdf

As far as hens just flat out stopping laying when they hit two years old, no! After each molt after they are 2 years old, they drop an average of 15% in laying. This is an average and will vary by individual hen, but if you have a few hens, they are not all just going to flat out stop.

A lot of times (not always) pullets will continue to lay during their first winter but will stop or greatly reduce laying during thier second winter. I suspect this may be involved with yours. They probably laid last winter and set some high expectations for you. Some hens will stop or greatly reduce when the weather gets either hot or cold. A lot of hens will stop or greatly reduce laying when the length of daylight hours drop. This usually also causes a molt but not always. When hens go along time between molts, they can slow down in laying. They need to occasionally molt (like annually) to recharge their egg laying systems.

As mentioned in the links it could be a disease. But I would be very relunctant to remove them all and start over when you might be fairly close to springtime and them starting to lay like gangbusters. I'd sure check them for disease before I did that or your next batch could catch the same disease.

I just saw your new post. I really suspect the molting or just stopping die to the cold weather.

Good luck!!

 

[pigfarmer]

thanx ridgerunner for the links

I will give them a little more time...ie spring

 

[pigfarmer]

Update on the B Leghorns not laying.....................................

They have started laying again, since Monday (1 then, 2 today)
Hopefully the added protein and/or additional lighting was the cure.