No Eggs!!!

[aart]

They're 7 months. Would they molt when temps are getting colder? That would seem counter intuitive? Lol

The shortening days is what triggers a molt, can happen in August or December or anytime in between.

Many pullets will keep laying all winter, but many will not.
Some will have a partial molt their first fall/winter, mostly around the neck.

Full molt usually happens in their second fall/winter.

 

[ChickChick2121]

I'm guessing the advice about corn and bread would be meant fo free-ranging chickens from many years ago, who normally had to find all their own feed. Since there is less food available to them in the winter, adding an easy source of calories (corn or bread) would help such chickens.

But your chickens should not have any trouble getting enough calories. They can just walk over to the feeder and have another bite any time they want.

People tend to pass down advice that worked for Grandma or Great-Grandma, without considering WHY it worked. So some of it still works and some of it does not, depending on which aspects of chicken care have changed or not.


I've seen some hens that molted and never showed it: they just did a few feathers at a time. You could pick up one or two and spread the feathers apart to look for pinfeathers. You can also spread out a wing and see if any of the big flight feathers are missing or half-grown.

If they really are molting, that's the answer to why you are not getting eggs.

If they are not molting, is there any chance they are hiding eggs somewhere? Or something is eating eggs? (chicken, snake, rat, human thief, etc.)

You can also check their butts to see if they are laying.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/
Here's an article.
Since you've got young pullets and adults, I would look at several of the young ones first. That's how the vent of a not-laying chicken looks. Then start checking the older ones. If they all look alike, no-one is laying. But if the older ones are laying, the difference will probably be obvious (and then you would concentrate on figuring out where the eggs are going.)


I don't know for sure if yours will molt this fall or not, but yes chickens do tend to molt as temperatures are dropping in the fall and early winter. That way they have their new feathers before the really cold weather arrives. (Yes, there are always a few that mis-time the molting and are bare in really cold weather, but most don't.)

Thank you! This info is great!