No More Eggs

[RSAChickenDude]

One of my friends have 10 bufforp hens and 3 roosters they were getting about a egg a day from each hen but now they aren't getting one.What can one do to get them to lay?

 

[Quack Shack]

Is he feeding his hens layer mash? They will need more calcium.

 

[rhodiegal]

Is it very hot where your friend is? With the heavily feathered birds like Buff Orps, sometimes egg production can slow or stop if the weather is too hot.

 

[RSAChickenDude]

The weather here is now actually very cold as it is winter here in South Africa.I think he is feeding his bufforps mash.

 

[juliechick]

They may be about to molt. Do you see a lot more feathers than normal in the run?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might check out this site for clues. You and your friend will see things we cannot.

Virginia Tech – Stopped Laying
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1097/2902-1097.pdf

Due to your time of year, I'd suspect molting due to reduced length of daylight. This site might help if that is the case. Juliechick could easily be right.

Mississippi State describes molting
http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html

 

[patandchickens]

The other possibility that should be considered when egg production stops, especially if it's fairly sudden, is that it is *not* an egg production problem at all. They could be putting the eggs somewhere you haven't thought to look; or something (rats, dogs, or even the hens themselves) could have taken up eating the eggs, yes shell and all.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Andora]

This is happening to me--I think my two easter eggers and one buff orp are hiding eggs somewhere! They went from laying everyday to not laying for 7 days straight, though the other birds have kept laying. I keep catching them in my neighbor's yard too. So today I didn't let them out of the coop to range until 11 in the morning, and sure enough there was an EE egg in the nest box. Sneaky birds!

 

[RSAChickenDude]

Their hens have come out of thier moult about 1 month ago so they should have started laying again.The hens cant really lay anywhere else because they are enclosed in a large run.But thanks for all the help so far.Keep Posting

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are they getting enough light? I've seen various numbers so I'm not sure which are correct, but most chickens need a certain length of light exposure to lay. I think 14 hours is the one I've seen most. If your friend has electricity to the coop, he/she/they might try using a timer on a light and see that they get 14 hours of light exposure a day. I don't know the life style and what's most convenient, but the extra light could be added in the morning, in the evening, or both.

Pat gives three good reasons for a sudden stop in egg production.

Stress can cause egg production to drop. A successful or unsuccessful predator attack, running out of water for a time period, housing or living condition changes are a few that come to mind. Due to the winter weather, have they been cooped up in the coop longer than normal?

Disruption to the flock pecking order can cause egg production to drop. Have chickens been taken from or added to the flock recently so they need to reorder the pecking order?

Disease can cause a drop or stop in egg production.

A heavy infestation of mites or lice can cause a drop in egg production.

Cold weather can cause a drop or stop. I'm not sure how orpington's handle the cold. Some breeds handle the cold better than others.

Have any hens gone broody? I've seen it posted on this site that a hen going broody seems to cause a drop in egg production in some flocks but certainly not in all flocks. I could see that if space is tight and the broody hen is stressing the flock or if the broody hen was dominant and the pecking order has been shaken up in her absence, but I'd consider this one a real stretch.

Since I'm starting to really stretch I'll quit brainstorming. I need to go get another cup of coffee anyway. My first guess is that it is a reaction to your winter, length of light and cold. If that is not it, I'd give a lot of consideration to Pat's suggestions, especially egg eating.

Good luck!