No Eggs?!?! Advice PLEASE!!

[steve&kris]

I have two 2.5 y/o Buff Orps, and 9 chx's new from this spring, 1 old Buff Orp, 2 barred rocks, 2 Black Giants, 2 golden laced wyandottes, 2 White Rocks. They had just started laying eggs 6 weeks or so ago, and built each week to where 4 weeks ago we were getting 2 dozen eggs a week. That lasted for a whopping 2 weeks, now we're getting 1-2 eggs a week TOTAL from all 11 chickens combined. By the time i pay for food, I think eggs are costing me about $30/dozen. I understand production will go down when the days get shorter and it gets colder (I'm in PA), but is this normal..... a total stoppage of production. My Chx are free range, big comfy coop, automatic coop door, no artificial light though that's changing as of today, and no artificial heat (though I'm willing to change that if I need to, would rather not). I feed high quality food, sometimes organic (which they don't seem to like as much as the not-quite-organic Buckeye layers feed that I normally give them. I'm supplementing a little bit of meal worms I've been growing to make up for the lack of bugs out this time of year.
What can I do.... Is this normal? The same thing happened with my first batch of chx the two older buffs came from -- they all started laying heavily and then a few weeks later it stopped like someone flipped a switch.
Also, this batch of chx has never taken to their perches very well... they spend a little time there, but also sleep in the laying boxes, or on the floor in a corner. They seem to have just never really learned that they're supposed to roost. Totally different subject, but a little annoying to me b/c their egg boxes get gross quick.

Help!!!!!

 

[Pathfinders]

Most of this can indeed likely be because of the shorter days. Are your chickens also molting, which is common this time of year? Hens who are molting may stop laying altogether, because they need energy to make new feathers.

If eggs through the winter are important to you, you may wish to add a light on a timer for them, one that comes on early in the morning, to give them about 14 hours of light per day. Don't do it at night, morning is best.

If they still don't lay with lights on, then you need to look at other factors like feed, possible parasites, etc. But adding light usually does the trick.

 

[Callous]

We started our flock back in August at that time we had 13 birds Two Egyptian Fayoumis, one Buff Orpington, two Aloha (one turned out to be a roo) one Silver Wyandotte the rest are Ameraucanas. At first we were getting a couple blue eggs every other day and two white ones every day, then the blue eggs stopped coming but the white ones continue. The white ones are from our the Egyptians as we have watched them in the nest one right after the other.

Anyway most of the flock went in to a molting cycle, not a hard molt,none lost all of their feathers. We are into our third month of molting and the feathers are all coming back but they have not started laying yet. We did get a couple of soft rubbery eggs last week and hoped maybe they were going to start laying again.

We upped the protein to an 18 % feed mix and increased the oyster shells but no eggs yet (except the two white ones) and the winter months are coming up which means lower egg production too. It’s beginning to look like my little egg factory is going to be just a pet project for a while longer.

 

[JERRY1952]

We had that problem too.... We read on this site to try some crushed red pepper..... Holy Cow!!!! It worked for us and they really like it and also added some extra light..... So far today we have got 5 eggs!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

They free range. I bet they are hiding them somewhere. A decrease is normal his Ike of year, but unless they are of age for a molt, they wouldn't completely stop.