So a few weeks ago I bought some new laying hens...they are just barely a year old I got a Welsummer and a Silver Laced Wyandotte....both were laying eggs the wellie not a regularly but the Wyandotte every other day. First the Wellie stopped giving eggs....she's not molting, no bugs, then my Wyandotte stopped same memo no bugs no sickness no molting....any ideas...the weathers been really strange and I know days are getting shorter but sheesh.....
i'm pretty new to this, but are you giving them a lot of fruit, veggies, and other treats like that? I've heard that too many treats can make them stop laying because they don't get the right amount of protein. So maybe try giving them some yogurt, fish, cat food, etc as treats instead and see if that helps?
dont laugh at me but do they seem happy? or does it look like they are constantly looking for the rest of their flock? do they lounge around during the day like they haven't got a care in the world. it might be a delayed reaction to the stress of moving. did their combs go lighter? did you change their food. did they go from free range to confined? you need to look at all these things and i'm sure more.
Yea they use to live on five acres and now are urban birds they are still really active but I'm thinking I might need to let them out more they have a big dog pen but I'll let them free range the yard...we are moving next week and the girls are coming with and when they do they will have more freedome right now we have short fences and alot of pesty neighbors
I am not the expert in chickens, only had mine for 1.5 years but......Your hens may be stressed out by the change in environment....it is not unusual for a hen to stop laying for a while after such a change. Even if you had eggs for the first few days after the move. One of mine laid for the first week or so after she was moved, she laid an egg the first day she came to us. Then she stopped laying for several weeks. Make sure your hens are on layer feed, have some oyster shell available so they can 'supplement' calcium if needed. Treats are OK but should not be given in large amounts, they are treats not food. My girls get some fruit, veggies, BOSS, raisins, yogurt or leftovers in small amounts daily as treats, they have a large backyard with lots of grass, plants and bugs but they also have layer feed available at all times except at night. They love to forage but they also eat a good amount of their chicken feed. They are healthy and more productive than I expected. Make sure the girls have nest boxes available that are in a quiet area, in a 'private' spot, not too bright....Hopefully they will start laying again soon. If you have to move them again they may have similar issue.....If you have to move them I would keep them confined to coop/run for a few days so they know where 'home' is and to return to their coop/roost in the evening. Good luck
Thank you I felt a little bad they have a coop for night time and during the day are in a 4 ft high dog run and they like to roll in the dirt so today I opened the run door so they could go out into the yard and scratch around as they please I gave them more layer food and came inside and Marilyn was sitting in the corner so I got a covered cat box and put some shavings from their coop and a golf ball in incase she felt like laying. SO after they were pecking around the yard they all headed back into the run. So hopefully they are just feeling stressed plus yesterday I had to get rid of my roo and one pullet so maybe they are feeling a bit off our roo was leader and they followed him around. Poor girls I just loved their eggs but I'd rather them be happy and healthy and not stressed so I 'll suffer through the store bought eggs...I've always hated the way they tasted didn't like eating eggs until mine started laying...ah chickens are addicting...
