My Hens Haven’t Been Laying Eggs After I Moved Them With Other Chickens In A New Coop.

[jsssms686904]

About two-three weeks ago I moved 8 hens and a rooster that are about 16 months old and 12 younger hens and 5 roosters that are about 4 months old into a new coop. The older hens and the younger chickens had never met each other until I moved them to the newly built coop. The coop has plenty of space for all the chickens. My older hens layed eggs before I moved them and also layed about three days after I moved them, but after those three days they stopped laying eggs. One of my older hens even died, but I think that could be of natural causes because she was healthy and looked fine that morning. I’m wondering if they are getting stressed because I have too many roosters together. Why are they not laying eggs now? Is there anything I can do to help them in their egg production and health?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Where are you located? Most birds in the northern hemisphere will quit laying to molt.

I definitely would remove some roosters. You are lucky the introduction is going okay. Sometimes there's problems.

Hens will also stop laying when they are streamed. Being moved to a new coop with strange new chickens is definitely high on the stress level. The few eggs you got were probably already in the making before stress shut them down.

 

[sourland]

You do have far too many roosters, and that is probably a factor as is the move and integration of two flocks. Chickens hate change. Add that in with shortened day length, age of the older birds (they are due for a break in their laying cycle) and a possible molt the stop in egg production is to be expected. As day length increases they will once again begin to lay.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
A new coop and thrust into housing with strangers will stress them enough to stop ovulation. The ovum that were already on the assembly became eggs for the next 3 days and then it dried up.
That would be enough to expect laying to cease, especially with such short day length.
Add to that a bunch of randy roosters and I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get eggs till after most of the roosters are culled and days begin to lengthen after winter solstice.

 

[Redhead Rae]

At most, for 20 hens, you should have 1-2 roosters. That and the shortened daylight is probably what is causing your egg shortage. I have about 40 hens and I haven't gotten ANY eggs in the last 5 days.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have 10 hens ranging from 2 to 5 years of age and in the last 3 months I've gotten one egg.
Another flock of 10 hens that are just over a year old and I went a month without an egg from them and now I'm getting 0 to 3 eggs a day from them.
In a month, they'll all start kicking in.
Not to mention that I have almost 40 pullets ranging from 4.5 months to 1 day that will really give us lots of eggs by spring.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!
Tell us more about the coop and run,
dimensions and pics would really help.
But, yes, the situation you describe would be very stressful, especially with 5 young cockerels involved.

and.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!