No Eggs?!?!

[jdline]

In the past I have given my girls supplemental light to keep them laying through the winter months. When the time changed this year I decided not to do this because my fridge was over-flowing with eggs and I thought if lack of light slowed production slightly it wouldn't be a great loss. Over the past few months I have gone from 12 eggs per day to 5 or 6 to 2 and now for the past few weeks to none. I am now out of eggs completely so a little over a week ago I added light to my coop and still no eggs. I should also probably say that my entire flock went through a molt in that time and it has been pretty cold here in PA (a few days -10°). Should I be concerned or is this normal based on all of these factors? What else can I do to get my girls laying again?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Am I understanding correctly? You added light in prior years but not this year? But then when you ran out of eggs you added light? Did you increase the light gradually or did you just increase it all of a sudden? What did you increase the day length to (combination of natural light and artificial)? Is molt now over or are some still scraggly?
I think you are going to have to have patience. They will come after they completely recover from molt.

 

[jdline]

Correct. I increased light all of the sudden. They have a total of 14 hours of light between the natural and artificial. They look as though they are finished molting.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It sometimes takes a while after they have completely regrown feathers before the hormones initiate body changes that allows ovulation and the ability to pass an egg.
It is important to increase light slowly. They don't respond by laying eggs like truning on a light switch. Chickens (and all animals) detect a gradual increasing of day length - or more accurately, day length in relation to length of darkness.
After their first autumn, no amount of light will keep them laying through the winter while they are still in the throes of recovering from molt. Feathers are 93% protein and they can't grow those while still kicking out an 6 gram lump of protein every day.
During this time the reproductive tract gets a much needed rest and rejuvenation.

Time change (daylight savings time) isn't detected by chickens because day length changes incrementally at about a minute or less a day. It doesn't change an hour when we set our clocks back or forward.
Where I live, days are now 16 minutes longer than they were at winter solstice.

What breed birds do you have? Have their combs and wattles started to enlarge and turn bright red? If not, you still have time to wait. Check the distance between the pointy pelvic bones. If there isn't 2+ finger width then they aren't ready.

I would cut back the day length to 10 hours and increment it gradually by about 15 minutes a couple times a week.

I imagine you are feeding a layer feed. I would switch to a grower or all flock feed that is 18-20% protein till you start getting eggs. The extra protein will help with recover from molt and they don't need the extra calcium now. Birds not building egg shells shouldn't be getting 4% calcium.

 

[Scott77]

I have three young chickens i bought at the same time. They all were laying eggs now one has gone completely off the lay the other two lay like clock work but the smallest of the three has gone on strike. no eggs at all for two weeks now. I can't find any thing work with her no injury no disease nothing.

 

[jdline]

It sometimes takes a while after they have completely regrown feathers before the hormones initiate body changes that allows ovulation and the ability to pass an egg.
It is important to increase light slowly. They don't respond by laying eggs like truning on a light switch. Chickens (and all animals) detect a gradual increasing of day length - or more accurately, day length in relation to length of darkness.
After their first autumn, no amount of light will keep them laying through the winter while they are still in the throes of recovering from molt. Feathers are 93% protein and they can't grow those while still kicking out an 6 gram lump of protein every day.
During this time the reproductive tract gets a much needed rest and rejuvenation.

Time change (daylight savings time) isn't detected by chickens because day length changes incrementally at about a minute or less a day. It doesn't change an hour when we set our clocks back or forward.
Where I live, days are now 16 minutes longer than they were at winter solstice.

What breed birds do you have? Have their combs and wattles started to enlarge and turn bright red? If not, you still have time to wait. Check the distance between the pointy pelvic bones. If there isn't 2+ finger width then they aren't ready.

I would cut back the day length to 10 hours and increment it gradually by about 15 minutes a couple times a week.

I imagine you are feeding a layer feed. I would switch to a grower or all flock feed that is 18-20% protein till you start getting eggs. The extra protein will help with recover from molt and they don't need the extra calcium now. Birds not building egg shells shouldn't be getting 4% calcium.

 

[jdline]

Thank you!