not laying

[nipper75]

Hi. My hens ages ranging g from 4 yrs to 2 yrs are not laying at all except for 1 maybe every other day. They haven't laid since August when I took the rooster away. He was mean. Any ideas?

 

[Percheron chick]

What breeds? If anything getting rid of the rooster should of helped with laying because the hens aren't as stressed.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi. My hens ages ranging g from 4 yrs to 2 yrs are not laying at all except for 1 maybe every other day. They haven't laid since August when I took the rooster away. He was mean. Any ideas?

Given the ages of your birds, I suspect the flock change (removal of the roo) is more of a coincidence than a contributor to their overall drop in production. Your flock is all aged beyond their first laying cycle and, as such, more likely to decrease or stop production through the shorter daylight hours of late fall/winter - meaning that the molt at the end of summer/fall comes to an end just at the time the daylight is shortening and there is not enough light to trigger them to go back into production at the end of their molt.
That being said - other factors to consider are feed, living conditions, other stressors that may be present, etc.

 

[Eggmachine11]

The days are shorter,and the weather is colder.3 years is about how long a hen will lay.They do not completely stop laying,they just don't lay as often.What breeds do you have?

 

[Urban Flock]

Given the ages of your birds, I suspect the flock change (removal of the roo) is more of a coincidence than a contributor to their overall drop in production. Your flock is all aged beyond their first laying cycle and, as such, more likely to decrease or stop production through the shorter daylight hours of late fall/winter - meaning that the molt at the end of summer/fall comes to an end just at the time the daylight is shortening and there is not enough light to trigger them to go back into production at the end of their molt.
That being said - other factors to consider are feed, living conditions, other stressors that may be present, etc.

I agree.

 

[nipper75]

Mixed breeds such as black copper maran, black australorp, easter egger, dominique, buckeye, Wyandotte. I didn't think the roo going away contributed to the stop in laying it was just weird how it coincided with each other. Hopefully once this weather breaks they'll start up again.