Stopped laying after molting

[jonimiki]

I have 3 chickens. 1 is going 4 years the other 2 are going 3. They use to lay nearly everyday until the oldest went moulting in Sept. It wasnt a total loss of feathers and she has since filled in nicely. Problem is the other 2 hens have gone on an egg strike too. I live in Hawaii and we get around 12-13 hours sunlight. I know they are getting up in age but they stopped so suddenly. I'm being patient but don't know if they'll ever lay again. It is so strange.

 

[Animalian]

mine went on 'strike' at 2 1/2 and didn't start again till after I got a new pair of pullets and they laid their first egg. As if it were competition or something!

 

[hyzenthlay]

I posted a similar question yesterday, and got a few answers, so you may want to look at that. Short story, your girls may be slowing down because they're older and take longer to recover from a molt--if they're already getting enough light, you may want to supplement their feed with something higher in protein (about 22%, instead of 16% like most layer feed), like chick starter or game bird feed, and that could help. I'd still like to know how long these molt strikes tend to last with "mature" hens like ours, if there is any typical pattern or range people have noticed.