no eggs for over a week

[FrannyLW]

I have 3 hens, they all moulted around October/November. But I was still getting the occasional egg. Then I was getting an egg every 2-3 days I believe only from 1 hen (but not positive). there was a time when they weren't laying in their box but laying on the "ground floor" of the coop but I put a stop to that and they started laying back in the nest. Ugly eggs. I think they heard that. They haven't layed for me in over a week. why are they freeloading? The weather has actually been nice here for a winter NJ. and yes I have looked all over, (they are not free ranging but they have a large run)

 

[nchls school]

Short winter days can play a big part in low or no egg production.

 

[BjaJra826]

Of my 15 hens, I am only getting 0-3 chicken eggs per day. In the winter, the lower light levels cause their hormones to kick off to reserve energy to keep warm. My ducks are still laying though. I get 2-4 eggs per day from the 5 of them. The fact that they lay eggs in the winter better than chickens was one of the reasons we added them to our flock. Plus I may have a poultry addiction.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Not enough daylight. Need 14 hrs min a day for reliable egg production from chickens. My younger produce in winter without supplemental lighting (not equal to longer day production) but the older ones did not. Add lighting to extend daylight to 15 hrs, wait 2 wks, and you will probably see eggs again.

 

[FrannyLW]

Of my 15 hens, I am only getting 0-3 chicken eggs per day. In the winter, the lower light levels cause their hormones to kick off to reserve energy to keep warm. My ducks are still laying though. I get 2-4 eggs per day from the 5 of them. The fact that they lay eggs in the winter better than chickens was one of the reasons we added them to our flock. Plus I may have a poultry addiction.

yes, my ducks are laying everyday. Except I have 3 females. I get mostly 2 eggs a day. Someone is slacking.

 

[FrannyLW]

Short winter days can play a big part in low or no egg production.

I heard that but like I said I was getting 1 egg every 2-3 ish days, It just stopped and its now February. You would think they would have slowed down in December.

 

[FrannyLW]

I wrote this message before I left for lunch. At lunchtime that one chicken (the one I thought was doing the laying) was in the nest box will keep you updated if I got anything.

 

[BjaJra826]

I get mostly 2 eggs a day. Someone is slacking.

Lol! Mine take turns slacking. They are young so their eggs are still transitioning from chicken sized to duck sized eggs. I can tell that all 5 of mine are laying, just got somebody slacking off every day.

 

[FrannyLW]

well, Parm must have known I was writing about her because she layed me an egg! Meanwhile, this morning, I got 4 from my 3 ducks. (someone must have layed a late one yesterday morning). When my ducks first started laying, I got 6 then 7 then 9 at one time!

 

[CT Fresheggs]

Something I have found with my chickens in the winter here in Connecticut. The quality of feed is a huge factor in my ladies egg production. And I did a test on my older birds to see if my thoughts were correct or I was just crazy. I fed my older birds 16% protein food and boom almost all of them molted in under a week. No eggs. I kept feeding them that feed for the entire bag. Then went back to the 24% protein feed and within a week started getting eggs again. They also get scratch grains every day. From about 53 hens I got 114 eggs in 3 days. That was feb 10, 11 and 12 2020. I use no heat and no extra light on them. So although the sunlight will play a part in egg production. I do not think it is as big of a factor as the feed. If the birds are concerned about staying warm they will not lay the eggs. If you feed them well they will not be concerned about heat and they will relax and produce more eggs. Just my opinion. There are a lot of people here with WAY more knowledge than I have with birds.