Stopped laying, HELP!!!

[andymack2]

Hello! I am in New Zealand and am new to chickens. We got 2 Rhode Island reds back in march and they were laying 6 eggs a week each for months. Unfortunately we went away for a few days and came back home to no eggs and no eggs laid since, it's been 4 weeks without eggs now! I've checked for mites and lice, no sign, they are eating and cursing around still but one is staying in her box for most of the day.

How do I get an egg out of them or is it time to eat up?

 

[junebuggena]

If one is sitting in the nest box 24/7, she's broody. Could the other be molting? Has there been any possible stress? Could there be a hidden nest somewhere? Have you been feeding a lot of treats? Sudden change in temperature?

 

[sourland]

Is there any possibility that they ran out of feed or water while you were away ? That deprivation could be one of many factors that can cause a stop in production.

 

[andymack2]

Hi there and thanks for the advice. Yes, they ran out of water (rookie error) around a day before we got back. So I think that's a factor, but they got fresh water right away and it's been a month.

No treats, just feed corn and scraps... temperature a bit warmer but not sudden, have also considered stress - my 3 year old likes to boss them around but they're really sweet with him and don't get bothered, they're really quite gentle. This morning I locked them out of the coop so they couldn't just go back to being broody and they spent the day outside roaming around. When I opened the door again she was straight back to her roost.. No hidden nest.

Any advice?

 

[junebuggena]

Could be too many extras. Treats should not be more than 10% of the daily diet. Too much corn or scraps can cut into the protein intake. Without enough protein, they can't produce eggs.

 

[chickens really]

You mentioned Broody........That is why no eggs....Break the Broody cycle....Also the stress of no water played into the lack of production......You say no treats are fed, then say scraps and corn.....Anything other than Feed is a treat.....

Best of Luck,

Cheers!

 

[shortgrass]

Could be too many extras. Treats should not be more than 10% of the daily diet. Too much corn or scraps can cut into the protein intake. Without enough protein, they can't produce eggs.

X2

They need more protein. Corn only has a meager 7%, and they do best at 16-18% for laying. I'd suggest adding some soybean meal or alfalfa pellets to their corn, at the least. Maybe some barley or wheat as well, to add in the missing vitamins that corn lacks.

 

[andymack2]

Hi all, thanks for the reply. One is back laying, miss broody is still sitting on no eggs... I've put her in a separate cage with no nest to try and break her broodyness. Is it worth trying to snak a few chicks under her? And ice got the option to get an Ancona to add to the flock today

 

[junebuggena]

If she's been broody for about 2 weeks, she will likely accept chicks. If she hasn't been broody long enough, it's a real gamble. If you want to break her, the cage needs to have a wire floor, and it needs to be up off the ground.