- Jul 6, 2010
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There seems to be a lot of threads on here lately about chickens that have suddenly stopped laying. While much of the blame seems to be pointed toward the seasonal lower sunlight and temperature levels the main cause may be that the birds are going into moult (or molt, either works). For those new to chickens, this is a periodic--usually annual--shedding and replacement of feathers. All birds go through this--the goldfinches that come to our feeder do it twice a year going from summer's yellow to winter's brown and back again. During this time the birds need to put most of their energy into growing new feathers--some like wild geese can't fly until their flight feathers return. While some birds do this gradually so they won't be inconvienced, some will lose masses of feathers at one time. This is generally what happens to chickens so their bodies are put under a lot of stress in order to regrow new feathers. Since this engery is used elsewhere, egg production will slow and, for many breeds, stop all together. I always have to remind my DW that, as we approach October, we must hoard eggs because we aren't going to get many from midOctober through the end of December/early January. While we have two to three dozen layers and are never completely run out of fresh eggs, someone with a dozen or fewer birds may experience a period where they get no eggs at all.
Why Fall? Some claim it is the weather/season. I, on the other hand, think it is more a factor of age. Most people start their chicks in the spring so they will begin to lay in the fall months. It has been my experience that their moult occurs annually at the age where they first start to lay. (Most chicks moult a few times as they go from fuzzy down to adult feathers so the real "adult" plumage is set about the time they're ready to lay.) Therefore, the moulting period just happens to coencide with the Fall season but this isn't a cause/effect relationship. Usually pullets who start to lay in, say, October, lay all winter, through the next summer and come October of their second year, moult. At this point their owners are going from a lot of eggs to nothing and, because they're not expecting it, panic.
My point would be that if your year-old or older chickens have stopped laying in the Fall, relax, feed them well and you'll soon be rewarded with fewer but larger eggs in a couple of months. On the other hand, if you're new to chicken keeping and started last spring with chicks, be prepared for no eggs come next fall.
Why Fall? Some claim it is the weather/season. I, on the other hand, think it is more a factor of age. Most people start their chicks in the spring so they will begin to lay in the fall months. It has been my experience that their moult occurs annually at the age where they first start to lay. (Most chicks moult a few times as they go from fuzzy down to adult feathers so the real "adult" plumage is set about the time they're ready to lay.) Therefore, the moulting period just happens to coencide with the Fall season but this isn't a cause/effect relationship. Usually pullets who start to lay in, say, October, lay all winter, through the next summer and come October of their second year, moult. At this point their owners are going from a lot of eggs to nothing and, because they're not expecting it, panic.
My point would be that if your year-old or older chickens have stopped laying in the Fall, relax, feed them well and you'll soon be rewarded with fewer but larger eggs in a couple of months. On the other hand, if you're new to chicken keeping and started last spring with chicks, be prepared for no eggs come next fall.
) My cochin girls are just finishing their first molt and I am starting to get eggs from them again. Your right the eggs are twice the size they were before but they only lay every other day now, which is fine with us. We have some younger rir's and production reds that are a year younger and have yet to go thru their molt so we are getting eggs everyday from them but I cant wait to see how big their eggs will be after their molt. Thankyou for taking the time to explain the process 
