my chickens stopped laying and now started up again

[loundrew]

Help me out here please....

I have a flock of assorted girls, Americana, Golden Seabright, Buff Orpington, Wellsumer, Brahma, Australorp, etc., 8 girls in all. They all hatched in Sept 2011 and were great layers until Sep 2013 when they all stopped. I had given up and assumed I had a flock in full retirement, when on 01 Jan (Happy New Year!) I found an egg in a nesting box, and since then I have determined at least 4 of the girls are laying as I have come across blue, buff, cream and bantam eggs. Is this normal for them to take a few months off? I live in Central Texas and the weather in Sept was still long sun hours and quite warm and they started back in Jan ,when, not like it was Spring time with long sunny warm days then. My girls are all the same age (delivered here in the same order) but they are all different breeds. Any insight?

 

[Alaskan]

Their egg laying is mostly determined by the change in light. In September, every day is short than the last. So, they probably all went into molt together. After they finished molting, they were still in the "each day is shorter" time of the year, so no laying.

After Dec. 21 the days started getting longer. By the first day of January my chickens started increasing their laying too.

My days are still very short, but since each day is much longer than the last, it is enough to get them to start laying.

So, your girls will lay this year, but not as well as they did in the past. It is a good time to think about replacement hens.....if you want to do that.

 

[RedNewcomer]

Is it common for one bird to lay multiple eggs within 24 hours.

 

[Alaskan]

No, very rare.

 

[RedNewcomer]

No, very rare.

Thanks. I have three production reds and have collected three eggs only three times now. Possible I have one that doesn't lay on a daily basis. Thanks again.

 

[loundrew]

cool... I haven't had girls quit for this long before. Occasionally I will have some take a break for a week or two and the Nov - March egg totals are normally a lot lighter than the rest of the year, but a 4 month hiatus had me convinced they were into early retirement. I have a basket of fresh eggs again and that's what matters. I was considering a new round in the Spring anyway.