Not one egg!

[birdwrangler057]

Hello everyone!

Okay, so about three weeks ago, my hens began to molt and since then they haven’t layed one egg. Between those weeks the temperature has dropped about 10 degrees F so I’m wondering if that’s also a factor. All of my birds are between the ages of 2-4 years. I added some oyster shells, so we’ll see how that helps as well...

Is there any other factors or solutions that anyone may have? Thanks!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Not enough daylight hours here.. over 60 chickens and 2 eggs a day if I am lucky.

DH is rigging up lights on a timer this week. The sooner the better.

 

[birdwrangler057]

Huh... I’m guessing I am having the same problem, because chickens already slow down on laying when molting, and when the daylight changes at the exact same time...

 

[junebuggena]

Hello everyone!

Okay, so about three weeks ago, my hens began to molt and since then they haven’t layed one egg. Between those weeks the temperature has dropped about 10 degrees F so I’m wondering if that’s also a factor. All of my birds are between the ages of 2-4 years. I added some oyster shells, so we’ll see how that helps as well...

Is there any other factors or solutions that anyone may have? Thanks!

It's not the cold. It's the shorter days. Chickens need light to produce eggs. Too little light and they can't lay. Molting hens are using all their energy to grow back their feathers, there isn't enough left over for egg production.
People are so used to eggs being available year round at the grocery store that most have forgotten that they are actually a seasonal food. This is the natural time for them to take a rest from laying.

 

[birdwrangler057]

It's not the cold. It's the shorter days. Chickens need light to produce eggs. Too little light and they can't lay. Molting hens are using all their energy to grow back their feathers, there isn't enough left over for egg production.
People are so used to eggs being available year round at the grocery store that most have forgotten that they are actually a seasonal food. This is the natural time for them to take a rest from laying.

Exactly, but they haven’t layed one egg in three or more weeks, so I was kind of wondering if here was another issue..l

 

[Dharmachick]

I have 3 pullets, 1 hen who still has her 10 week old chicks, 9 one to two year old hens. Only the pullets are laying, but two hens have finished their hard molt and are laying less than they normally do. I don't do lights, I'm a tree-hugging nature girl so I just keep the flock rotated so I have some pullets.

 

[birdwrangler057]

I have 3 pullets, 1 hen who still has her 10 week old chicks, 9 one to two year old hens. Only the pullets are laying, but two hens have finished their hard molt and are laying less than they normally do. I don't do lights, I'm a tree-hugging nature girl so I just keep the flock rotated so I have some pullets.

I don’t use lights either anymore , because I think that the hens could become too reliant on the artificial heat, and would panic if the bulb were to go out in the middle of a cold night, or they would be thrown off by the natural light timing.

 

[junebuggena]

Exactly, but they haven’t layed one egg in three or more weeks, so I was kind of wondering if here was another issue..l

Molting can take a while. Most of mine take at least a month or two to completely finish. Then they have to get back to laying weight, as some hens can loose quite a lot of body condition while molting, which could take another month. And by then, the days will naturally be getting longer again. Takes the pituitary gland about a few weeks to ramp up enough of the hormones for egg production after that long break.

 

[RonP]

Do a quick search on Winter lighting.

Chickens need a minimum of 12 hours per day, your area currently receives around 10...

 

[birdwrangler057]

Molting can take a while. Most of mine take at least a month or two to completely finish. Then they have to get back to laying weight, as some hens can loose quite a lot of body condition while molting, which could take another month. And by then, the days will naturally be getting longer again. Takes the pituitary gland about a few weeks to ramp up enough of the hormones for egg production after that long break.

Okay! Thanks! I have noticed they have lost weight. The only reason this has bothered me is because my hens usually go through molting and he lighting transition very quickly, and this year it is a lot slower