Moving hens each summer/winter

[abbikings]

I jokingly say that my hens (7) have a summer house and a winter cabin. In winter, we use a coop/run near the house along a side yard. It’s sturdy construction, well insulated, close to the house so I don’t have to trudge through much snow to tend to them, and it’s near an electrical outlet so I can keep their water thawed. In summers, they move to the backyard. It’s a much larger enclosed run, and we can enjoy watching them from the deck. However, coop is flimsier (converted playhouse), it’s nowhere near an outlet, and it’s much farther from the house. This is the second winter we’ve moved them, but the first time they’ve quit laying eggs entirely. It been about a month and a half.
Is this move really so stressful and disruptive to them? If this is a bad idea I’ll change things up.
Another factor is that our oldest hen died naturally about 2 weeks ago. She wasn’t the alpha, but maybe her declining health in the last weeks would have caused this egg decline.
If anyone has experience moving hens frequently, or can offer any advice I’d be grateful. I’d feel awful if what was best intentions for their housing was actually bad for them.
Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't think it would be too stressful. Do you get a dip in production after a move?
I regularly move chickens among at least 6 housing options through the year.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's likely that the flock is experiencing the normal winter break that most hens older than a year take in the short days of the year.

Did they molt this fall?

 

[Sally PB]

Our coop is built on the bed of an old trailer, so it's towable behind the Jeep. It was in the side yard last spring when the chickens first went outside, and we added the run. We moved it down by the garden last summer. That means disassembling the run, moving the coop (easy part) and rebuilding the run attached to the coop.

This fall, we moved it back up by the house. Disassemble, move, reassemble. A whole day project, but at least I don't have to walk down the (steep, icy) driveway.

The move went well, and I still got plenty of eggs until mid-November. The girls are on hiatus while they go through a partial molt -- they're only 9 months old -- and wait for longer hours of daylight.

I think they don't mind the move too much. It's probably a little scary while the coop is moving, but the reward is a whole new patch of grass. Which lasts two days...

I'd say, if you don't mind the work involved, they probably enjoy the new space.

 

[abbikings]

I don't think it would be too stressful. Do you get a dip in production after a move?
I regularly move chickens among at least 6 housing options through the year.

Great to know I’m not the only mover!
We usually get a dip, but nothing this extreme. It was a long drawn out molt however.

 

[abbikings]

It's likely that the flock is experiencing the normal winter break that most hens older than a year take in the short days of the year.

Did they molt this fall?

They did molt, it felt like it took forever to make it through all the ladies’ molting. We have some 2 year olds, I figured they would be young enough to keep laying pretty regularly, but they aren’t the most prolific layers to begin with. Must be a normal break. Thanks for the reassurance, I would have felt terrible if this was a no-brainer no no.

 

[abbikings]

Our coop is built on the bed of an old trailer, so it's towable behind the Jeep. It was in the side yard last spring when the chickens first went outside, and we added the run. We moved it down by the garden last summer. That means disassembling the run, moving the coop (easy part) and rebuilding the run attached to the coop.

This fall, we moved it back up by the house. Disassemble, move, reassemble. A whole day project, but at least I don't have to walk down the (steep, icy) driveway.

The move went well, and I still got plenty of eggs until mid-November. The girls are on hiatus while they go through a partial molt -- they're only 9 months old -- and wait for longer hours of daylight.

I think they don't mind the move too much. It's probably a little scary while the coop is moving, but the reward is a whole new patch of grass. Which lasts two days...

I'd say, if you don't mind the work involved, they probably enjoy the new space.

I’ll stay patient and stay the course. Thanks, glad to year you have regular success with this!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Great to know I’m not the only mover!
We usually get a dip, but nothing this extreme. It was a long drawn out molt however.

I have about 50 birds now, various ages with six 9week old chicks among them. Most are done molting but I have two that are completely shabby and right in the middle of their molt.

 

[sourland]

I think the age of the birds and the shortened day light period have had more impact than the fact that you moved them.

 

[Alaskan]

My chickens are moved...they are split into small breeding groups and get to live in tractors and whatnot all spring and summer.

When nasty weather hits they are all tossed together into their winter coop.

I do not believe that the moving changes egg laying.

Of course... I simply naturally get very few eggs all winter.