My hens have almost all stopped laying...

[Terry Allan Hall]

The little black French hen lays about 5 a week and once or twice a week I'll find a green one from (I'm guessing) just one of my Americaunas...the other 9 (8 other Americaunas and a Buff Orpington) are producing nothing...

Feeding them layer pellets, w/ cracked corn and vegetable scraps as a treat, and they all act normal/healthy...

Rooster lives in the run w/ them...

Any thoughts?

 

[justusnak]

Are they maybe getting too many treats and not enough layer feed? Maybe going through a molt? How old are they? Have you suplemented thier lighting? With winter coming on...there is less light...they really need 14 hrs of light, to keep laying. Try cutting back on the treats..and give them a few extra hours of light in the morning. I have mine on a timer..and they come on at 5:30 am...and off at 7:30 am. ( daylight time) Hope this works for you!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Or it could just be the weather.
Mine nearly stopped laying for about 3 weeks. They are just beginning to start up again. I have 120 young hens in one pen and was getting 6 eggs a day!!! Not good for my egg business. Today I gathered 5 dozen...YAY!!
My Ameraucanas and EE's have quit laying completely. There are about 50 young hens in that pen, and I haven't had a single egg in over 2 weeks.
It is the changing weather here, once they get used to the changes in the weather, they will start to lay again. This may your problem too.


Jean

 

[kstaven]

It has been an odd fall here with the chickens too. Even with supplimental light and temperatures that are not overly cold we have gone from 100 hens laying regularly to none in 3 days.

Normally I have hens laying all through the winter.

New layers where timed in their hatch to come into lay mode last month. Even our seasoned dependable layers are on strike right now.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Treats are only 1-2X a week...no molting currently...might try to rig up a light system this weekend, though.

How much lighting is required for an area of about 16' X 40'?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

They will need about 12 hours of good lighting to help... is that the size of inside your coop?...I'd say as long as they can see well inside, use your judgement.....

It's really been an odd Fall for everyone's birds to stop laying....

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

My wife will always tell me the chicken will lay less eggs if they don't get enough feed, we feed ours mainly rice, some crumble, vegetables, DE and they free-range. If they should decrease in egg production she will always say chickens eat to much no lay eggs go to pot.

 

[MarilynMcF]

Boy was I pleased when I read all of these posts about hens not laying. I've had hens off and on since I was a wee one but never have I had all hens stop at once. They've molted now but still no interest in the nests. I told my husband that the hens know something we don't, a change in the weather, as this is the heaviest molt I've seen in years. The weather is starting to remind me of the mid to late '70's. Regardless, I have one in 10 hens laying, the rest flat out quit. I'm waiting to see what happens.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Hens need at least 14 hours of light to lay...The only bird I have laying is Miss MoneyPenny, my Silkie/Cochin pullet, but she's a little over a year. Obelisk the Tormentor, my 4 and a half year old Leghorn won't lay again until spring.

 

[6chix]

Mine have pretty much quit laying also. I went from getting 7 eggs from 8 hens to getting 1or2 a day. The girls are moulting pretty heavily now and the weather has gone to crap. I can wait to get some eggs in the spring, the girls need a break.