No roost in coop?

[5.0 Clunker]

I am putting the last touches on my coop and I have not had the time to make a roost for my hens yet, what I was wondering is the fact that I do not have one in the coop keep my hens from laying? I have four hens and I know they lay becuase thay were laying about two weeks ago and the weather has not changed much in this time. I have started to feed laying feed but I just cant figure why they stopped laying.

Any help would be great!

 

[chickflick]

I don't think not having a roost would make them stop laying. Do you have nest boxes? How old are the birds? Do you have artificial light in the coop? hens need 14 hrs of light to lay. What king of birds do you have? Did you just move the girls in the coop? Maybe the stress of moving has affected them. Sometimes it just happens and they'll start up again. Let us know how it goes. Maybe someone else will be of more help.

 

[tvtaber]

If we even clean out the coop our hens will skip that day of laying; they are very adverse to change! If you just moved them into the coop or if your changes were at all disrupting to them, that would explain the lack of eggs. We got two older hens who were laying almost daily and it took a good three months for them to start laying again after the move (part of that was the trauma of the hens we already had picking on them).

The lack of roosts isprobably not affecting laying, but they do love their roosts. It gets them up off the cold floor and is a natural shape for their feet. If they were sleeping on roosts and now are not, that may be enough disruption to stop egg production. These are finicky gals with a pension for routine...

Vicki

 

[5.0 Clunker]

I have three leghorns and two others (not sure of breed). I got the three leghorns from a co worker who got tired of taking care of them, he told me that they would lay even in the winter and was suprised to hear that they stopped laying. I do have nesting boxes made out of good old milk crates. At their old home they would lay in wood ammo boxes, I thought they were used to laying in those so I got one and still on luck. The funny thing is that the first week I had them they layed four eggs. I was feeding them OMALENE 100 just becuase I feed the horses that and I figured it would be ok well I have learned that they need laying so thats what they get now, but it has been two weeks and still no eggs.

 

[Katy]

If you just recently brought them home, that's enough to make them stop. Just takes them awhile to get used to their new place.

 

[5.0 Clunker]

They have been here at my house for a month now. Is that normal for them to take that long to get settled in.

 

[Katy]

It can be. I had a critter get in my coop last winter and it took most of the survivors weeks to start laying again. Sometimes it doesn't take much to put them off.