Spending too much time together?

[wbruder17]

I have 5 "laying breed" chickens that I bought all at the same time, and 4 other "novelty" breeds that I got at a few different times and places. 2 of the "layers", who are about 6 months old now, are the only ones laying.

I confess, I have had a lot of extra time on my hands lately, and the chickens are my new hobby, so I spend an AWFUL lot of time back there. Hanging out, cleaning, rearranging their roosting bars, feeding them treats, etc. They have a large outdoor enclosure as well as a big actual coop. They have 3 nesting boxes so far, and the 2 layers use the same one, sometimes at the same time.

Am I spending too much time back there? Thus stopping the other girls from laying? Maybe they are not comfortable or private enough? Any advice would be lovely.

Thanks

 

[MOChickenz]

I don't have the answer, but I would love to know the answer. I spent over an hour twice watching the chickens in their coop
today. My egg count was down by about 25%

 

[Mahonri]

How old are the layers?

 

[sourland]

Your presence is not stopping them from laying. They will start once they are mature enough. The shortening day length is impeding egg production. Continue to enjoy your birds.