Some hens stopped laying

[Arete]

Hi all,
I have 7 hens 3 Black Laced Wyandotte and 4 Amberlink all just turned 4 years old. For the last couple weeks the Amberlinks have literally stopped laying eggs. I’m getting one egg daily from the 4. I’m getting 3 eggs daily from the Wyandottes (occasionally 2 daily). The Amberlinks were the better layers of the bunch until just recently. They all eat the same layer feed, have acces to oyster shell, fresh water with electrolytes. Snacks consist of blueberries, sunflower seeds, leftover vegetables and I feed back crushed eggshells. The only change is they were free ranging 6-8 hrs daily until they refused to stay in my yard. They have been in an enclosed run for over 2 months, it’s very large and I still let them out occasionally in the evening right before dark. Are my hens “old” at 4? None are showing any signs of illness. Any ideas welcome. Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

4 is generally when henopause starts.
What protein is the feed? How much treats do they get?

 

[Arete]

4 is generally when henopause starts.
What protein is the feed? How much treats do they get?

Hi, thanks so much for the response. The layer feed is 16% Protein and 3.5% Calcium. Sunflower seeds are given sparingly 1-2x weekly. I give kitchen scraps consisting of raw veggie pieces and crushed eggshell maybe 4x weekly but it’s really not a large quantity. I didn’t know there was a henapause but will educate myself on this now.

 

[Know it All]

The layer feed is 16% Protein and 3.5% Calcium. Sunflower seeds are given sparingly 1-2x weekly. I give kitchen scraps consisting of raw veggie pieces and crushed eggshell maybe 4x weekly but it’s really not a large quantity. I didn’t know there was a henapause but will educate myself on this now.

I may be wrong, but I believe layers need at least 18% feed once they get older to lay. Amberlinks are bred for egg production, so their egg production usually declines at around 2 years. Are they receiving light where they are living right now? My chickens once stopped laying because they didn't have enough light

 

[nuthatched]

Hi, thanks so much for the response. The layer feed is 16% Protein and 3.5% Calcium. Sunflower seeds are given sparingly 1-2x weekly. I give kitchen scraps consisting of raw veggie pieces and crushed eggshell maybe 4x weekly but it’s really not a large quantity. I didn’t know there was a henapause but will educate myself on this now.

A higher protein layer feed would be nice if can find it, it might help.
Eggs are made of protein and the hormones that regululate laying require protein, too little and things can go off track

 

[aart]

Hi all,
I have 7 hens 3 Black Laced Wyandotte and 4 Amberlink all just turned 4 years old. For the last couple weeks the Amberlinks have literally stopped laying eggs. I’m getting one egg daily from the 4. I’m getting 3 eggs daily from the Wyandottes (occasionally 2 daily). The Amberlinks were the better layers of the bunch until just recently. They all eat the same layer feed, have acces to oyster shell, fresh water with electrolytes. Snacks consist of blueberries, sunflower seeds, leftover vegetables and I feed back crushed eggshells. The only change is they were free ranging 6-8 hrs daily until they refused to stay in my yard. They have been in an enclosed run for over 2 months, it’s very large and I still let them out occasionally in the evening right before dark. Are my hens “old” at 4? None are showing any signs of illness. Any ideas welcome. Thanks!

High production birds can run out of steam at 3-4 years.
Odd that they all stopped at once tho.
Did it happen the same time you had to confine them?
Have y'all been having the same heat wave we have here?
Do they also have plain water?
The electrolytes is only needed about once a week during heat waves.
I'd cut out everything but the layer feed for a couple weeks and see if that helps.

 

[Arete]

I may be wrong, but I believe layers need at least 18% feed once they get older to lay. Amberlinks are bred for egg production, so their egg production usually declines at around 2 years. Are they receiving light where they are living right now? My chickens once stopped laying because they didn't have enough light

Hi, thanks for the feedback. I will try to find a higher protein feed or add in. They have plenty of sunlight. They did all stop over the winter and I don’t like to do any artificial lighting, they deserve a rest. Amberlinks were the only breed available when I decided on chickens. Next time I will get a variety of breeds.

 

[Arete]

High production birds can run out of steam at 3-4 years.
Odd that they all stopped at once tho.
Did it happen the same time you had to confine them?
Have y'all been having the same heat wave we have here?
Do they also have plain water?
The electrolytes is only needed about once a week during heat waves.
I'd cut out everything but the layer feed for a couple weeks and see if that helps.

Amberlinks were the only breed available when I decided to get chickens. They certainly did produce like crazy. They deserve a rest. They do also have plain water. It’s been unusually hot here the past 10 days. I appreciate your feedback.

 

[aynesidea]

Hi all,
I have 7 hens 3 Black Laced Wyandotte and 4 Amberlink all just turned 4 years old. For the last couple weeks the Amberlinks have literally stopped laying eggs. I’m getting one egg daily from the 4. I’m getting 3 eggs daily from the Wyandottes (occasionally 2 daily). The Amberlinks were the better layers of the bunch until just recently. They all eat the same layer feed, have acces to oyster shell, fresh water with electrolytes. Snacks consist of blueberries, sunflower seeds, leftover vegetables and I feed back crushed eggshells. The only change is they were free ranging 6-8 hrs daily until they refused to stay in my yard. They have been in an enclosed run for over 2 months, it’s very large and I still let them out occasionally in the evening right before dark. Are my hens “old” at 4? None are showing any signs of illness. Any ideas welcome. Thanks!

Are amberlink sex linked production hens, lay a ton then done?