Moving laying hens to new area - Do they stop laying for months?

[chickenpets786]

I got my chickens some weeks ago.one of them laid for the first 2 days and has not laid since.The other is still young. I know it takes a few days or maybe a week or two, to used to new surroundings but i think this is a little to long.Is this normal?

 

[TDF888]

Looks like I am a late contributor, but I am having problems here. I just moved my flock of 12 hens and went from a summer daily haul of about 8-10 eggs per day to 3 if I am lucky. My hens are 2 years old. What's worth is both my Americaunas have stopped laying completely. It's been 6 weeks since I had a lovely blue egg. My daughter also added 6 Giant Pekin ducks to our flock the same time we moved, and I had to change our feed because I cannot afford to feed the Pekins expensive organic feed. Is this normal?

 

[islandgirl82]

Looks like I am a late contributor, but I am having problems here. I just moved my flock of 12 hens and went from a summer daily haul of about 8-10 eggs per day to 3 if I am lucky. My hens are 2 years old. What's worth is both my Americaunas have stopped laying completely. It's been 6 weeks since I had a lovely blue egg. My daughter also added 6 Giant Pekin ducks to our flock the same time we moved, and I had to change our feed because I cannot afford to feed the Pekins expensive organic feed. Is this normal?

You may want to separate the ducks (if you can so your hens can still get the organic feed). Your hens not only just experienced moving but adding a whole other species and for animals that don't like change, that's a lot of stress all at once. If you can't or don't want to separate the ducks, try offering them oyster shells, or crushing up their own shells and offering that on the side to give them extra calcium.

 

[TDF888]

Thanks! Didn't think about stress depleting calcium. I will try it.

 

[islandgirl82]

You're welcome. I would say has more to do with the switch in feed than the stress reducing calcium.

Also, if they're sharing water with the ducks, they may not be getting enough and won't be producing eggs without adequate water. I know when I had both, my hens didn't like to drink the water the ducks had muddied.

 

[Hidrainja4]

I have ducks and chickens. Yes they can live together but nobody is happy. The ducks are a couple of party frat boys who are up all night quacking when the hens want to sleep till dawn.I have them in seperate pens next to next to each other. The ducks will be fine on chicken pellets but add niacin(brewers yeast) a necessity. Chickens will be fine on duck food. If that helps. Hens won't lay with those big flat footed quaking neighbors around. What is your water situation? Ducks need to dunk their heads under and splash a lot. Can the hens have an alternative water source?

 

[Phil1955]

Yeah, I move mine all the time. I call it "musical chickens". Sometimes there's not a delay in laying at all. Depends on the hen and environment and so forth.

I moved them to much larger run. Got 10 eggs yesterday and only 3 today. I'm new to having chicken

 

[nuthatched]

I moved them to much larger run. Got 10 eggs yesterday and only 3 today. I'm new to having chicken

Chickens hate change, they'll start once they feel safe again

 

[Mrs. K]

When I have moved chickens, generally get an egg with in the 24 hrs of moving then nothing for several days.

This time of year will influence that with the short days and depending how your coop is set up and the daily exposure to sunlight. But in another 4 weeks if you are south of me, I would expect eggs to really start coming on.

Thing is, they lay when they lay and there is dang little you can do but wait.