Trying to figure out if this is just normal or if there is something going on. We have 6 hens (10 months) and were getting 4-5 eggs per day throughout the fall. 1-2 per day the past month and a half and then it all stopped almost a week ago. Our Wyandotte looked like he was molting in the neck area in the fall and he still has some spotty areas on his neck and on the top of his head, and then one of our Buffs started looking the same as of last month. I've peeked in their feathers for mites but haven't seen much. The others aren't really missing much and I don't really notice missing feathers from other areas besides the neck/head. Today I looked in their coop and there is a good amt of feathers on the ground. Could they be pecking? We have also been closing them into the coop at night over the past couple of weeks because it's been pretty cold here in NJ. Some mornings my husband doesn't let them out til closer to 8am. The coop isn't too tiny. We have 2 perches (they all fit on one), and it's 4'x4'. I am at a loss for how to figure it out?! Is it pecking, typical winter behavior, need more protein?! Ideas?!
Check their butys . Sometimes pop gets stuck on their back feathers and they dont like to lay eggs with pop on their buts.
Do you have lights in the coop? Chickens usually need 14+ hours of daylight to keep laying, some pullets (production breeds especially) will keep laying over their first winter but not always. Change or anything that upsets/stresses birds may stop them from laying, and if the weather has been bad and they are now locked in the coop instead of running around like they are used to may shut them down. The usually recommended square footage is 4 per bird in the coop, so with 6 standard birds in a 4x4 you are a little short on space, which can lead to feather picking/ stress. Chicks usually go through a partial molt around 5 months, so your roo might have been doing that in the fall, but with a rooster, you may also be seeing some over mating of favorite hens leading to missing feathers in the orps case. And, orps are a broody breed, so is it possible one or more of them is going broody? Long BYC thread on why chickens may not be laying with a long list of possible reasons. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/423023/why-arent-my-chickens-laying-here-are-your-answers
