Repeat of last year?

[wolftracks]

My birds have been laying less and less the past few days. I went out in one of the coops and feathers everywhere.

I didn't get an egg from August last summer till February or March. There was a very heavy noult going on here. I'd rake feathers every single day and it looked like a huge pillow fight within hours.

I don't want to go through that again. What's a good way to get these guys through a heavy moult quickly and back to laying? I give them chick feeder when they moult and lots of vitamins, but this went on for months last time and then a big lull in laying.

Looking for some ideas from others and how they deal with it. And am I the only one that goes this long without an egg being laid??

 

[dsqard]

Wolfie have you tried giving them game bird food? Protien in that is about 22%. Maybe that might help?

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Actually, from what I've heard, starving them and keeping them in the dark would get them to moult faster than feeding them extra. But I'd never do that myself. From what I've read, that's how the big egg farms used to do it.
I haven't had ours stop laying so long though. Usually around a month we only get a egg or two from each hen moulting, but they never completly stop. We even had a few that hardly slowed down.


I'm not a bit of help huh?

 

[KatieBugg]

Tractor supply carries a supplemet called CALF MANNA, also Manna Pro carries a food called Gamebird/Showbird conditioner, either of those would help them get through the molt much faster, I am partial to the Calf Manna, great supplement and the birds love it, I always feed it wet with a couple of spoons of cottage cheese and they go nuts over it. It also wouldn't hurt to give them extra vitamins to help them through the molt.

 

[wolftracks]

I trying all of these last year except starving them. LOL

MFB I was an eggless slave feeding a a bunch of slackers for months.

I guess I didn't mention, but I have my little guys on gamebird starter and grower. I like it better for them.

OH i don't want to go through this again. I had horrible hatches this year and haven't added but a handfull of chicks to the flocks. I need more eggs!

The good thing is the coop I checked was the SPPRs and my girls had broken back feathers. Not anything gross, but broken. At least they'll be beautiful again. Still I only got one pullet out of them. Figures.

I must love roosters too much.

 

[Mrs. K]

how old are your hens? Younger hens will lay through the winter, the older hens nearly stop.

That is why some of us, cull out the older hens, and add chicks each year. MrsK

 

[wolftracks]

Mrs. K :

how old are your hens? Younger hens will lay through the winter, the older hens nearly stop.

That is why some of us, cull out the older hens, and add chicks each year. MrsK

Some of my girls will be 3 and 4 years old. this is other have gotten hatches from their eggs and I had a very bad year. I had all cockerels but one and I kept a pair. Then a pipe broke and flooded my growout pen and I post several babies. The pair was 2 of them. My Davis BCMs are sentimental for me, so I'll feed them through the winter again while they give me absolutely nothing and try again next season. I was getting fully developed chicks that just didn't hatch. I have 2 or 3 more hatches coming up with their eggs, so I'm using a higher humidity this year.

I got a few eggs yesterday. At least my quail are starting to kick in, but my chickens are my real babies, so I need to keep going. I really had a huge roo explosion this year on all of my breeds. Devistating went you hatch 2-3 pullets in months. OK well 2-3 that you would keep for breeding.

I have lots of new birds for next season in the growout pens and in the brooders, but it seems the ones that my husband had bought me I've had a really bad time with hatching out.

I did have some young ones last time who also held out on me. This year I'm going to do everything I have too to get an egg out of somebody including building a nesting box big enough for me to climb in with them and hold a wing while they push them out.​