My hens stopped laying, can anyone help?

[_nope_]

I have 3 young Langshan pullets that started laying a month or 2 ago. And I also have 5 mixed breed hens not sure of their age but they were laying really well apart from one old hen who didn't lay at all, a rooster and 2 goats run with them, i feed them 2 kg of chook food a day, but lately I have been out alot so no one has been around to feed them as much.
I used to get 5-6 eggs a day, and they gradually went down until there was only about 3 and then to 1 now nothing, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.
Please help.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Not enough food and fresh water everyday can cause this problem, as well as the lack of enough sunlight each day.
Welcome from New Orleans, I am sure your hens will start laying again once there is more sunlight each day.

 

[aart]

but lately I have been out alot so no one has been around to feed them as much.

They should have access to feed and water every hour they are awake.
I fill the feeder every morning with just enough to last 24 hours,
takes some practice to know how much that is.

Can the goats access the chicken feed?
It can kill them, not to mention deprive the chickens from getting enough feed.

Welcome to BYC! @_nope_
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[3KillerBs]

i feed them 2 kg of chook food a day, but lately I have been out alot so no one has been around to feed them as much.

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters -- if you're in an area where it's winter and there's no fresh green available for forage then you can expect their food intake to go up.

In most cases, chickens should have free access to their feed and water at every hour of daylight. If you aren't there to put out feed frequently and no one else will do so then you need to provide a large feeder that will hold enough feed to last the entire time you're gone.

No animal can be expected to be productive when it's in survival mode due to food scarcity.

 

[DickMidnight]

I fill the feeder every morning with just enough to last 24 hours

off topic, but i’m curious why you go this route vs a large feeder that holds a few weeks’ worth of food.

the most redeeming quality of my chickens is that i don’t have to feed them but once a month.

i wish i could train my dogs the same way

 

[3KillerBs]

off topic, but i’m curious why you go this route vs a large feeder that holds a few weeks’ worth of food.

Personally, I prefer feeders/waterers to last about 3 days -- long enough to get me through a minor emergency if something crops up but not so long that,

A. I can get complacent about it,

B. I don't have frequent hands-on/eyes-on care for my flock to spot problems,

C. The feed doesn't deteriorate with full exposure to my warm, humid climate.

 

[aart]

off topic, but i’m curious why you go this route vs a large feeder that holds a few weeks’ worth of food

I feed, water, and clean daily..... and have the time to do that.
Helps to keep an eye on everything and spot any trouble before it becomes catastrophic.
Keeping chickens is a way of life for me, not a convenient accouterment.

 

[DickMidnight]

I feed, water, and clean daily..... and have the time to do that.
Helps to keep an eye on everything and spot any trouble before it becomes catastrophic.
Keeping chickens is a way of life for me, not a convenient accouterment.

that’s fair. one of us goes out and checks on them almost daily to bring table scraps and spend some time, but i purposely set up their feeder and waterer to be one less thing i have to do every day

the feeder holds about 70lbs of food, which lasts a month, and their nipple waterer holds 6 gallons which has lasted about 3 weeks so far with them getting used to the nipples. in the summer it’ll probably last two weeks or so.

 

[Deezchix]

that’s fair. one of us goes out and checks on them almost daily to bring table scraps and spend some time, but i purposely set up their feeder and waterer to be one less thing i have to do every day

the feeder holds about 70lbs of food, which lasts a month, and their nipple waterer holds 6 gallons which has lasted about 3 weeks so far with them getting used to the nipples. in the summer it’ll probably last two weeks or so.

If you don't mind me asking, how many chickens do you have? I have 9 that take about a month to go through 50lb bag.

 

[Deezchix]

They should have access to feed and water every hour they are awake.
I fill the feeder every morning with just enough to last 24 hours,
takes some practice to know how much that is.

Can the goats access the chicken feed?
It can kill them, not to mention deprive the chickens from getting enough feed.

Welcome to BYC! @_nope_
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2931518

That's what I do. Refil fresh food and water every day. Mines have slowed down with the daily eggs, but are still laying even with the reduced daylight. Getting at least 4-5 eggs daily from 7 hens.