Most of the my flock quit laying 6 weeks ago

[mmkoecher]

I have 8 Rhode Island Reds that were laying 7 eggs a day until about 6 weeks ago. Two of them are broody so I don't expect them to lay but rest seem to have given up as well. I'm getting 2 maybe 3 eggs a day. At first I just chalked it up to the girls needing a break but it's going on 6 weeks now. Additionally, shouldn't the broody hens have given up by now as well?

They're 18 months old, I feed them quality laying crumbles (plus they get the food scraps from the house) and they always have water available to them. All appear healthy (no molting) and all are active. I live in Minnesota and although we've had some warm days, it hasn't been so hot they'd give up laying for 6 weeks.

I've kept chickens for almost 20 years and never had this happen for such an extended period of time (and without any reason obvious reason why).

Any suggestions as to why might be causing this and how to remedy it?

Thank you!

 

[aart]

Do you free range?

Broodies have been setting for 6 weeks?
Best to either give them fertile eggs to hatch or break them of their broodiness.

 

[mmkoecher]

Okay. Thank you.

[They have a 30ft x 20ft outdoor pen but I can't free range them because my vegetable garden (not fenced) is just outside their door and they make a mess out of my veggies (I actually haven't let them roam at all this year, including when they were actively laying). I don't have a rooster so no fertilized eggs are available.]

Anybody have a good tricks for breaking broodiness? I'm also wondering if I've had different hens sitting these last 6 weeks; they're all identical so I wouldn't easy catch it if they've changed.

 

[aart]

First make sure they actually are broody.
I would think with 20 years experience you'd have had one before and know the signs?

They will set on nest most the day and all night...I wait to see this behavior for 2-3 days then break or set up with eggs. Low repetitive clucking. Laying 'flat as a pancake' on nest, and on ground when removed from nest. Screeching, biting, hissing when disturbed on nest, tho any laying hen might do this.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

 

[mmkoecher]

I'm fairly confident they're broody. They are definitely cluck hens and they do lay flat in the nest and fluff up when I left them up to get eggs - the other hens lay in the same box. They're over the pecking me when I get the eggs from them - I've been disrupting them nightly for almost 6 weeks. I've seen this behavior a lot in my 20 years just never for this extended time period.

Thank you for sharing your process. I'm texting back and forth with a friend right now trying to find someone who has fertilized eggs (it might be fun to take advantage of the situation!). But I fear I'm going to have to send them jail to see if I can break them of it.

Do you have any thoughts on why the others aren't laying - do you think it's because they're not free to roam (I have never free ranged my hens in the spring/summer and never had a problem - but that doesn't mean it couldn't be the problem). I was also wondering if I should pick up a different brand of food/ make sure the protein content is high enough in the one I use (it's always been fine in the past though).

Thanks for your advice and help!

 

[dehowery]

I also have a hen that is broody almost all the time. I have tried separating her from the rest and putting her in the "Peeps house" area. All she does then is run around inside the enclosed area crying. I have taken her off the nest and placed her in a small swimming pool half filled with cold water. she stays as long as I hold her then she flys out and right back to the nest. I understand that broodiness is actually associated with the temperature of the chicken & hormones. Finally we got her some fertilized eggs and she is sitting on them now. We did this last year and she hatched out 7 out of 8 chicks. (all of which died do to Marek's) If these hatch we have had our vet order the Merek's vaccine and will have them vaccinated if/when they hatch. Sorry I am afraid I'm not much help.