No Eggs--Stopped

[Woodys Chickins]

Why aren’t my chickens laying eggs? No eggs for the last 7 months. Here’s my info.

WHO: 5 Hens, no rooster. 1 Delaware, 2 R.Reds, 2 Ameracauna

AGE: 2.5 yrs all of them.

EGG LAYING HISTORY: All the girls laid great the first year. However, now I’m only getting 1 egg daily since April 2025(?); from one of the R.Reds. Note: One of the Reds has a girl problem…laid great the first year, but since the first year she has only laid ‘rubber eggs’ maybe 3 times per month. Otherwise, not laying. I’m not worried about her, it’s the other 4 I’m concerned with.

MOST RECENT MOULT: Delaware (July-Aug). Ameracaunas (Sep-Nov). Reds (hard to tell)

FEED: Combined together: Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve (19%) and Kalmbach All Natural 20% Full Plume. I also mix in a SMALL amount of: Soldier fly larve, black oil sunflower seeds.

FREE-RANGE: Daily for a few hours.

WATER: Fresh, clean. Once a month I might include a few drops of either ACV or blackstrap molasses.

CALCIUM: Free choice oyster shell

GRIT: I have sandy soil so I don’t supplement with “grit”

COOP: 6FT Wide, 8FT LONG, 5.5FT TALL. Includes 2 roost bars (2x4), 3 egg boxes. Floor is covered with hemp. Cleaned regularly.

PEN/RUN: 25FT x 25FT. Shade cloth and screen from the sun. Located between 3 pine trees for shade.

PREDATOR PROOF.

DUST BATHS readily available and used.

BODY PESTS: I’m not seeing evidence of any pests…no scratching, plucking, picking, etc; however, I treat them every 4mos as a preventative:

--WORM TREATMENT: SAFEGUARD in the water (5ml per gallon).

--MITES/LICE: Ivermec. only 1 drop on each area: neck, armpits, butt-area, ea. Leg.

BEHAVIOR: All 5 girls appear to be happy go-lucky. They come running to me when I call them. They peck and scratch in the dirt for bugs or lizards (but they rarely catch lizards).

TREATS: Occasional blueberries, vegetables – but mostly I stick to their chicken food.

I know chickens typically slow down egg production during HOT TEXAS summer. I also know they typically slow down during shorter daylight hours of TEXAS WINTER (now aprx 12hrs daylight). I’m prepared to put artificial light in the coop, but I have not yet.

 

[nuthatched]

It's winter break. Perfectly normal and good for them.

 

[Woodys Chickins]

It's winter break. Perfectly normal and good for them.

Maybe you skipped over my 2nd sentence...
""No eggs for the last 7 months.""
((winter ended here in March))

 

[nuthatched]

Maybe you skipped over my 2nd sentence...
""No eggs for the last 7 months.""
((winter ended here in March))

Yes, I did, sorry, I was reading the list of information.
You could have duds.

 

[SourRoses]

I would put lights in the coop. They don't have to be bright or on all night. A couple hours should do it.

We have solar string lights (all of $28). I give them their break in fall while they're molting, then turn the lights back on in November or so (depending on their molt progress / general condition.
The idea is that they don't have to be forgotten to over-produce with lights. It's just a way of setting a schedule that works for humans too. Before I broke down and added lights, we had one year where the hens took long individual breaks for broodiness all summer, the group long break for molt, by which point the sun hours were too few for them to resume. By about January that year I said "maybe the lights will take 2 months to work, but I'll still be ahead of the April natural resumption."
Low and behold some started laying after just a week of light, and most by two weeks later.

On another note, sometimes hens show poor uptake of calcium if it's that "Oyster Shell" which is actually just rough limestone pebbles / "coral calcium". They hate that stuff, but love real oyster shell and dried eggshells.

 

[SkyAJK]

Sorry that you have not got any eggs from your 5 hens for 7 months. It is sometimes a mystery about why they are not laying eggs. Some more experience members here might give you some idea.

Not laying, but come out with ‘rubber eggs’ is sign of a reproductive issue.

You are winter over there, and they just finished their molt, and might be their body is taking a break in the cold weather. Some molt well and some aren't depending on their individual health.

I know that my hens take many months off after they finished their molt, and take roughly between 1-2 months off after they are off broody, then not laying in winter, and when it is too hot in summer so effectively they only lay egg 4 months in a year, that is me being generous with my math.

My 4 bantams only lay egg in spring and summer. They go broody often as well in summer so that reduce their egg laying even more so.

I have chickens out of the blue not laying egg, and some are due to reproductive issues, a few are about 2 years old looking healthy, but not laying. I am thankful they are healthy, it is too much worry, care and work when they are sick. Being freeloader is OK, but get sick is not ok so I told them.

I am not an expert, what I learned from my own flock is that the heritage breed do not lay eggs as much. Production breed like Isa Brown lay egg every day regardless of the weather, not going broody, rarely molt, so lay egg till they die from reproductive issues.