My 6 chickens have stopped laying eggs for 3 months!

[cavemanrich]

Well your question has so many answers and reasons, let me try just a few of them for you:
1. High temperatures stop some chicken breeds from laying.
2. Unhappy hens for what ever reason.
3. Some critters frightening them, even small animals like mice.
4. Molting definitely slows or stops production making for a slow start to producing eggs again.
5. Cold weather can stop some breeds from laying.

You probably have some of the above happening.

Try this: Do not feed your chickens any treats at all. Force them to eat their layer food only and trust me if you give them no treats at all they will consume more of the layer feed which is what you want, Layer feed means eggs, treats do not. If it is winter now where you are increase a longer light cycle to at least 14 hours every day, even if you have to run electricity out to your coup and use just regular light bulbs. Longer light times equals more feeding time and thus promotes greater egg production.

I agree with everything you posted except forcing layer feed. Layer feed to non laying chickens will damage their kidneys, and liver. Yea, I know they wont die right away, but it is no good. Feed Alflock @ 2% or slightly less calcium, and offer oyster shell free choice. When they ALL start laying, then it is OK to go back to Layer feed. It is also OK to feed them the 2% calcium feed all the time while providing free choice calcium. Layer feed is the high volume chicken egg farms feed choice to simplify things as well as manage costs. . The battery hens get culled in 2 years so most still have their kidneys working.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2

While we're at it, a couple more statements I disagree with or find misleading.

Layer feed means eggs,...

It doesn't. All the extra calcium in layer feed does is replace that lost in the medullary bone used to build an egg shell.
Layer feed does nothing to stimulate ovulation. If anything, a higher protein grower or all flock feed can stimulate ovulation if lighting is correct.
An egg is mostly water and protein until the shell is added in the uterus.


...Longer light times equals more feeding time and thus promotes greater egg production....

IMHO, a chicken will eat enough in a normal day to produce eggs.

5. Cold weather can stop some breeds from laying.

Cold has little to do with most breeds production - it might affect breeds like seramas and silkies.
It's all about the light.
I currently have all Mediterranean breeds that tend to appreciate warmer climates.
I built a spreadsheet last winter tracking the egg production from 5 flocks along with daily high and low temperatures and precipitation each day. There was no correlation between temperature and production. They laid just as well when temps were below zero and days to follow as they did when it was in the balmy 30s and 40s.

 

[lesliekg]

Thank you for your insight...no more treats for those ladies... not until the start laying again. They LOVE meal worms freeze dried and lettuce and all sorts of treats which I will now withhold from them...( they'll probably start hating me...(kidding). I'm also going to add a light... it's dark here so early and apparently they do better in the light. Thanks again... it has been very exasperating but, now I know and I'll be patient.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It works best to gradually increase the light. Starting about 20 minutes before dawn and add about 20 minutes every couple days. If they've completely regrown a new coat they may start up by the time you've reached 12 hours.

 

[Weehopper]

For what it's worth. I think it's good for them to rest and recuperate from intense egg laying in the summer months.

 

[dekel18042]

My son says that they're going to be soup soon if they don't start laying eggs! (lol)They've molted and their feathers have returned, they are about 2 yrs old and were laying beautifully until August when they suddenly stopped. I thought it was due to molting and started giving them "feather fixer" pellets. Well, it's now Dec. almost and not a single egg in 3 months! What am I doing wrong? I've even put in a fake egg to encourage them. This has me stymied... and it's slaying me to buy eggs. Thanks for any input.

Welcome. I think many of us are in similar situations now, with the shorter light days and hens recovering from molting. To help them through their molt faster (Feather growing needs more protein.) you can either put them on an all flock or chicken grower feed, 18-20% versus the 16 per cent protein layer food. Or you can give them treats with a higher protein content, meal worms or I give mine a cup of cat or dog kibble every day.
Feeding them layer food will not make them lay. It just provides the calcium laying hens need. You can switch back once they are laying or just keep a bowl of oyster shell out which they will eat as needed.
The other thing you can do is once their feathers have grown back in, give them an extra two hours of light, preferably in the morning. If you give it at night when it goes out, sometimes they have a hard time finding the roost In the morning since it gets light, not a problem.
The other thing about shortened days is that pullets coming into point of lay now might take an extra month or two to start laying as opposed to those who start in the spring/summer.
I have ten almost seven months' olds and I'm waiting...and waiting. Their mothers all started laying between five and six months old. I keep telling them I have recipes to no avail.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

Our hens just finished their second-fall molt. For the past few months we've been getting maybe one egg every other day. Things have picked up some the past 2 weeks but with the shorter days I'm not expecting the usual number of eggs until spring. I think it's a good thing to give them a rest. They are healthy otherwise and look great with their new feathers!

 

[ChkenKeeper]

Well your question has so many answers and reasons, let me try just a few of them for you:
1. High temperatures stop some chicken breeds from laying.
2. Unhappy hens for what ever reason.
3. Some critters frightening them, even small animals like mice.
4. Molting definitely slows or stops production making for a slow start to producing eggs again.
5. Cold weather can stop some breeds from laying.

You probably have some of the above happening.

Try this: Do not feed your chickens any treats at all. Force them to eat their layer food only and trust me if you give them no treats at all they will consume more of the layer feed which is what you want, Layer feed means eggs, treats do not. If it is winter now where you are increase a longer light cycle to at least 14 hours every day, even if you have to run electricity out to your coup and use just regular light bulbs. Longer light times equals more feeding time and thus promotes greater egg production.

Unfortunately I did not mean to cause such a disgraceful response to my answer to a post you requested.
I am only speaking from 40 years of keeping chickens both privately and commercially.
You high lighted in red your Issues regarding "Force Feeding" your chickens layer feed.
Actually perhaps you construed this as a "physical method" of forcing layer feed down them.
Not so, if you feed no treats they will eat layer feed, pullets or grown adults.. It will neither harm them or or render them damage to any organs in their system. It is just their natural food for them.
I have done this with my chickens for the past 40 years, without any dire consequences in any way. Take it for what it is worth to you. Your question was so generic I just offered options to a very generic question without knowing breed or age, but my resulting answers would still be the same, regardless.
May your chickens lay daily eggs, mine do..
Thanks and good luck.
Farmer Sparky.