HobbitWife
Chirping
- Jun 11, 2020
- 19
- 85
- 59
Hi Everyone!
Hope you're all doing well.
Our tiny flock (5 at the time) mostly stopped laying around Halloween. We had one hen who was still laying well, but everyone else pretty much stopped. We had a bit of a "perfect storm" of factors, so I wasn't surprised:
1. No supplemental lighting. We live at the Illinois/Wisconsin border, so daylight hours are short right now.
2. We ran out of their regular food (we generally buy in bulk once a month), and had to give them starter feed mixed with oyster shells for about a week. When we got more layer feed for them, it was an abrupt switch, and to a new brand.
3. They had a raccoon scare--we found one in the coop at dusk! It was waiting in the back corner. Thankfully, my husband dispatched it quickly, and we didn't lose any birds.
4. 4 out of 5 hens went through a hard molt.
Now, however, all the hens have stopped laying. We got two more hens a week ago (all of our birds have come from the same farm,) and our girls' ages are pretty mixed. Of course, I realize it's winter, so production is just going to be down. However, we now have supplemental lighting (6:30-8:30am and 4:30-9pm, I think) and everyone seems used to the new feed. The new hens are pretty docile--they mostly stay out of the others' way and don't like to make trouble. At least one of the new girls was laying before we got her, but now she's stopped. Is this normal? I figured it might take her a few days to settle in, but we're still not getting any eggs at all! This is our first winter having chickens, so we're not sure what to expect.
Hope you're all doing well.
Our tiny flock (5 at the time) mostly stopped laying around Halloween. We had one hen who was still laying well, but everyone else pretty much stopped. We had a bit of a "perfect storm" of factors, so I wasn't surprised:
1. No supplemental lighting. We live at the Illinois/Wisconsin border, so daylight hours are short right now.
2. We ran out of their regular food (we generally buy in bulk once a month), and had to give them starter feed mixed with oyster shells for about a week. When we got more layer feed for them, it was an abrupt switch, and to a new brand.
3. They had a raccoon scare--we found one in the coop at dusk! It was waiting in the back corner. Thankfully, my husband dispatched it quickly, and we didn't lose any birds.
4. 4 out of 5 hens went through a hard molt.
Now, however, all the hens have stopped laying. We got two more hens a week ago (all of our birds have come from the same farm,) and our girls' ages are pretty mixed. Of course, I realize it's winter, so production is just going to be down. However, we now have supplemental lighting (6:30-8:30am and 4:30-9pm, I think) and everyone seems used to the new feed. The new hens are pretty docile--they mostly stay out of the others' way and don't like to make trouble. At least one of the new girls was laying before we got her, but now she's stopped. Is this normal? I figured it might take her a few days to settle in, but we're still not getting any eggs at all! This is our first winter having chickens, so we're not sure what to expect.
