Moulting and no eggs

[BDutch]

There are many reasons why chickens don’t lay as much as expected.
Age, breed, stress, food and water, health problems, parasites, moulting, daylight, poison, Individual differences, too much weight (too fat.....,

And if they stopped laying in autumn it is normal that you have to wait for eggs till February or March.

questions:

1. Are you sure there is no mite problem in you’re coop?
2. Is the light LED or TL? Only in the morning?
3. Do they always have acces to water and feed during the day?
4. How many chickens in how many space?

btw: I wouldn’t heat the coop that much.
Orpingtons do well in a climate with a bit of cold without supplement heating. Its even healthy because all kind of parasites don't like cold.

Imo, you can slowly decrease the supplement heat. And I would let nature take over the daylight. Not too sudden of course. And wait for early spring for eggs.

 

[Craigboy53]

Good to have it under your avatar, then it's always right there, thanks!

So way back in early June?
Your locations longest day is 15 hours 22 minutes.

I kept my lights up(~13 h) most the summer this year,
older birds still molted, pullets did not start to lay.
Bumped them up an hour in mid December,
neither laid until about 2 weeks after Solstice.
Supplemental lighting is not like flipping the switch(haha!) on the egg machine.
It's not just the duration of daylight but whether it is increasing or decreasing.

On August 1, 2019 sun rose at 5:16 EST and set at 19:48, which is 14 hr 32 minutes. It is light 30 min before sunrise and after sunset, so add an hour....15 hr 32 minutes. By August 31, by the same calculation, daylight was 14 hr 12 minutes. Our longest day is 15hr 21 min (June21j, but that doesn’t count the light before sunrise and after sunset. Should I have not included the twilight periods in my calculations?
I didn’t record the day (yes, i should have...), but I started the light mid August, and kept increasing as the day got shorter, to keep it at 15 hours.
Do you think I’m not giving them enough light?

(only been here a day, and learning so much already! I’m off to the feed store to get higher protein feed as recommended.)

 

[aart]

Do you think I’m not giving them enough light?

Nope, not what I think.
What I think is that it's hard to fool mother nature and her live animals.
Sometimes giving so many hours of light works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Like I said, mine had plenty of light but still didn't lay until after Solstice when the days began lengthening infinitesimally.

ETA: the best way to have winter eggs is to hatch chicks early enough in the spring so that they start laying before the dark season.

 

[Craigboy53]

questions:

1. Are you sure there is no mite problem in you’re coop?
2. Is the light LED or TL? Only in the morning?
3. Do they always have acces to water and feed during the day?
4. How many chickens in how many space?

btw: I wouldn’t heat the coop that much.
Orpingtons do well in a climate with a bit of cold without supplement heating. Its even healthy because all kind of parasites don't like cold.

Imo, you can slowly decrease the supplement heat. And I would let nature take over the daylight. Not too sudden of course. And wait for early spring for eggs.

I‘ve looked for mites, haven’t seen any. I mix DE as well as wood ash in with the garden soil for their dust bath. I dust and mix the bedding with DE when I clean it to keep any parasites at bay. They also get a bit of DE mixed in their food to keep worms at bay, keeps the eggs clean. Having said that, I’m a beginner at this, so I will keep checking.
They have food available 24/7 as well as water.
We have three buff Orpingtons, in a coop that is 12 feet long, three feet wide and four feet high. There is a brooder box that sticks out from one side. It’s about 8” off the floor, 30” long, 15” high, 12” wide.
The light is a warm white LED that comes on around 2:30 am right now, and switches off at 9 am.
When we got the chicks, we were told Orpingtons were good to about -10 C. It gets much colder here. Last night it was -19 C. with a windchill of -25 C. We used infrared reptile heat bulbs that emit no light. The coop got down to -5 C. last night, even with the lamps, and heated water dispenser. I’m not sure if I want it getting colder than that. Guess I’m an old softy! LOL!

 

[Craigboy53]

Feeding layer is not good when they aren't actually in lay! Then, your protein levels are lower, especially for birds molting. How about feeding an all-flock feed with 18% to 20% protein, and less other stuff? It would be better, and maybe help that molt end sooner too.
Waiting for spring!
Also, having birds of different breeds and ages helps spread out the molt, and have eggs from somebody at all times.
Mary

Thanks, Mary. The current feed is 17% protein. When I looked at the feed store this morning, I could get 18%, but the only one higher at 20% was a starter crumble for chicks, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. Between the three of them, they go through a quart jar of mealworms in about 2 weeks, so that’s some extra protein. They get a handful of BOSS about every four days, and a handful of scratch once a week.
Our choice of suppliers in our area is quickly decreasing. In the last year, there have been four small feed suppliers who have closed down in our area.

 

[Folly's place]

The chick starter, if unmedicated, would likely be fine. The issue with layer feed is the excess calcium for non-layers. Having an all-flock feed, with oyster shell on the side, is appropriate for everyone.
Some folks with very high producing laying hens find that layer feed works best for them, but for most of us it's just not necessary. Layer feed was developed for caged high producing, small bodied laying hens, in commercial operations, where the birds are 'all-in, all-out' so all in the same stage of production at once, and eating nothing else.
Mary

 

[BDutch]

I‘ve looked for mites, haven’t seen any. I mix DE as well as wood ash in with the garden soil for their dust bath. I dust and mix the bedding with DE when I clean it to keep any parasites at bay. They also get a bit of DE mixed in their food to keep worms at bay, keeps the eggs clean. Having said that, I’m a beginner at this, so I will keep checking.
They have food available 24/7 as well as water.
We have three buff Orpingtons, in a coop that is 12 feet long, three feet wide and four feet high. There is a brooder box that sticks out from one side. It’s about 8” off the floor, 30” long, 15” high, 12” wide.
The light is a warm white LED that comes on around 2:30 am right now, and switches off at 9 am.
When we got the chicks, we were told Orpingtons were good to about -10 C. It gets much colder here. Last night it was -19 C. with a windchill of -25 C. We used infrared reptile heat bulbs that emit no light. The coop got down to -5 C. last night, even with the lamps, and heated water dispenser. I’m not sure if I want it getting colder than that. Guess I’m an old softy! LOL!

Maybe a bit soft, but you're care and the coop-space is very good.
A little warming for the coldest days is probably good. But Orpies can have -15 C too. Thats how cold it can get here in winter. And I know someone who never adds warmth in winter. Except for the water. Her birds are fine.

 

[Mtnboomer]

How old are your birds? I'm sorry if you already stated that. My older hens 1.5 yr + quit laying in September and wont begin again (other than a stray one here or there) until March without supplemental lighting. My younger birds (8-14 mos) are laying an egg every other day WITHOUT supplemental lighting.
When I turn on the lights, I use a timer. Light comes on at 530am and goes off at 7am (sunrise) and comes back on at 530pm (sunset) and off again at 8pm

 

[Craigboy53]

How old are your birds? I'm sorry if you already stated that. My older hens 1.5 yr + quit laying in September and wont begin again (other than a stray one here or there) until March without supplemental lighting. My younger birds (8-14 mos) are laying an egg every other day WITHOUT supplemental lighting.
When I turn on the lights, I use a timer. Light comes on at 530am and goes off at 7am (sunrise) and comes back on at 530pm (sunset) and off again at 8pm

Our birds are now 18 months approximately.

 

[Chickassan]

Wow, pretty late molt isn't it?
These are all done and everybody is laying again.
Did ya'll hatch/buy them late or something ?