My hens quit laying

[jumperl]

My hens are through molting but haven’t started laying. Any idea why?

 

[CluckerFamily]

After molting, my hens won't start laying again until Spring.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Mine slow down when it gets darker earlier and colder. I have 2 of my 9 hens who lay year round. But I find the daylight hours are the biggest culprit. I don't use supplemental lighting in the coop, but that's an option. If your birds are otherwise healthy, that may be the reason.

But you might want to check for lice or mites to see if that is a cause. Stress can do it, too, if you've added members to the flock or changed their environment at all.

 

[jumperl]

Mine slow down when it gets darker earlier and colder. I have 2 of my 9 hens who lay year round. But I find the daylight hours are the biggest culprit. I don't use supplemental lighting in the coop, but that's an option. If your birds are otherwise healthy, that may be the reason.

But you might want to check for lice or mites to see if that is a cause. Stress can do it, too, if you've added members to the flock or changed their environment at all.

I put a light on them, I did add new chicks that are about 6 months old now and should be starting to lay. Thanks for telling me about ‘new’ birds. I guess I’ll just let them go about being chickens. I have a daddy rooster and his son that fight periodically. Daddy chases son more. Son has taken the new chicks as his. Maybe I need to get rid of one of them?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Mostly, I suspect, its the change in light levels. Even adding supplemental light will take a while to get hens back "in the rhythm". My birds are new, have not experienced a post-adult molt, and even though I'm in a relatively Southern latitude with frequently bright clear skies, the egg laying of my flock has dropped precipitously.

By the numbers, excluding ducks, I had 12 birds of "laying age" last month. I averaged 6-7 eggs daily (3 are Comets, famed as layers - typically 2-3 eggs daily where theirs).

This month, I have - in theory - 18 birds of laying age, as my Dark Brahma are now all 6 months of age. None of them, to the best of my knowledge, have begun to lay - in spite of their fame as consistent winter layers. Yesterday (again, excluding my ducks), I retrieved just 1 egg. A Comet's. Three eggs, the day before. Today, a Rainbow was in a nesting box when I brought out kitchen scraps, she didn't come running for them. I expect another 2-3 egg day.