Stopped laying - :(

[cutechickies1]

Hello!
Our girls stopped laying 2 months ago and are perfectly healthy. They are not losing feathers, and are the same weight. We increased the light in the coop but still no eggs?

Any suggestions?

 

[jhm47]

What are you feeding? How much did you increase the light? How much light are you providing, and from what source? All light is not equal in stimulating egg production. Neither is just any light helpful in stimulating plants to grow. There are many types of light, and the incorrect spectrum of light will not help much.

 

[dancingbear]

They may need more protein. 16% like more layer rations is really a minimum. It won't hurt a thing to increase to 18%, some say even 20%. Make sure they have oyster shell, too.

 

[cutechickies1]

I have a low watt bulb on pretty much all the time. They also have a small heat lamp. Straw for bedding. I am feeding them 16% pellets and scratch feed. There are 15 of them in total - feeding them a lg. butter tub of each - every day.

 

[sunnydee]

I would give them access to their food 24/7.

 

[digitS']

One-half scratch grains in their diet is quite a lot.

I'm thinking that a large margarine tub is about 3 or 4 cups? At 3 cups/pound of feed (what the stuff I buy weighs), your 15 hens may only be eating about 2 or 2.5 pounds of food each day. That would be way too little feed per hen (less than .2 lb).

Cold weather is not the time to short them on feed. I agree with Sunnydee - free choice of those pellets would be best.

Steve

 

[dancingbear]

Scratch grain is lower in protein than layer pellets, too, so they aren't getting a 16% protein diet, which would be the minimum required protein, anyway. And they should be fed free choice, constant access to feed. I'd almost bet that's your problem, underfeeding, and protein too low.

Are they getting oyster shell?

They need some dark time so they rest properly. I don't know how cold it is where you are, but you can use a red-tinted bulb for heat, if needed. White light in the morning, maybe on a timer to come on at 4 am or so. Do they get outside at all? You didn't say, or I missed it. Are there windows where they get any natural light?

 

[cutechickies1]

I have hooked up a small red light and regular light. They are on a timer and get 12 hours of light. 4am-4pm. I have also increased their food. Their coop is open to a pen area approx. 24' x 10' all the time.

Thanks for the comments.