Total stop of egg production

[gisbert]

HAHA....I will give it a try

 

[gisbert]

How are your hens..have they started laying again?...I just got 3 eggs this morning...I hope the hiatus is over.
good luck

 

[Coralietg]

It helps me to see posts like this. I have 38 layers plus about 14 laying bantams. I'm getting 1-3 eggs a day

I usually sell 7 dozen a week at the least, and I feel like I'm letting everyone down. I've just treated myself to scrambled eggs, saved up for 3 days, when I have this huge flock outside! It's incredibly frustrating. We live in Louisiana, it was 75F yesterday. I've never had hens quit laying completely through the winter.

 

[gisbert]

my hens were molting all at the same time...some still are. I understand your frustration. I was told to give them more protein. So I am treating them with some yoghurt each morning. I'm not sure if it really makes a difference but I am getting some eggs no

 

[juaru5]

Same boat here. We have 20 or so hens and were getting about 10 per day, but they have completely stopped. Nothing for three weeks. Everybody is healthy and they are eating better than ever as I have upped their feed. It is very frustrating!

 

[gisbert]

they will come back....I guess, like women who live together they are all on one cycle...haha
best wishes

 

[ladywho177]

I'm here in north Texas and I'm having the same/similar issues. My older girls, a group of 10, just turned 3 this year, 6 live in one coup,4 in another and one from that group just defected to a 3rd coop (but I digress), slowly last summer out of the 6 of them, egg production dropped drastically and now none of them are laying. The other four were laying up until this year and now they have also stopped. I also have RI reds, a group of 6 gals in a separate coop (where my defector went) they are only a yr old as of this January, and I still don't get an egg from each of them each day. And production there has dropped to 3 maybe 4 eggs. My defector is the only one possibly molting although I think her feather loss was more from being picked on than truly molting. Checked for parasites-external, haven't changed the feed, plenty of fresh water, coop is cleaned regularly, had lights on in winter, so the "short daylight" wasn't a problem, they get goodies like mealworms, scratch grain and cracked corn and of course scraps on occasion. I bake and crush up their egg shells and feed back to them. I've offered other commercial supplements that are supposed to assist with this issue. Nothing has worked. I live in the country, so stray dogs are not my problem, if they are out loose then I have to watch for predators like coyotes and bobcats. But I have been fortunate to have not lost too many to them. I'm fighting a losing battle with field mice, And I've tried everything "natural" that I've heard of to get rid of them and none of that has worked.
So I am totally baffled. I'm beginning to believe that I got "bad chicks" from the hatchery.

So I am open to any suggestions, questions. Anything that will help.
Jill

 

[JenElliott]

I'm here in north Texas and I'm having the same/similar issues. My older girls, a group of 10, just turned 3 this year, 6 live in one coup,4 in another and one from that group just defected to a 3rd coop (but I digress), slowly last summer out of the 6 of them, egg production dropped drastically and now none of them are laying. The other four were laying up until this year and now they have also stopped. I also have RI reds, a group of 6 gals in a separate coop (where my defector went) they are only a yr old as of this January, and I still don't get an egg from each of them each day. And production there has dropped to 3 maybe 4 eggs. My defector is the only one possibly molting although I think her feather loss was more from being picked on than truly molting. Checked for parasites-external, haven't changed the feed, plenty of fresh water, coop is cleaned regularly, had lights on in winter, so the "short daylight" wasn't a problem, they get goodies like mealworms, scratch grain and cracked corn and of course scraps on occasion. I bake and crush up their egg shells and feed back to them. I've offered other commercial supplements that are supposed to assist with this issue. Nothing has worked. I live in the country, so stray dogs are not my problem, if they are out loose then I have to watch for predators like coyotes and bobcats. But I have been fortunate to have not lost too many to them. I'm fighting a losing battle with field mice, And I've tried everything "natural" that I've heard of to get rid of them and none of that has worked.
So I am totally baffled. I'm beginning to believe that I got "bad chicks" from the hatchery.

So I am open to any suggestions, questions. Anything that will help.
Jill

Hi Jill,

I live just east of DFW in Athens. My flock of 3 1/2 year old hens has also had a dramatic drop in production. I have three red/brown sex-links, 1 gold laced wyandotte, and 1 silver phoenix. Ironically, my best producer right now is my tiny silver phoenix. The wyandotte has never been much of a producer, but my sex-links were almost over-producers. Most of the time their eggs were so huge that I couldn't close the container of the egg carton. I just gave my girls a de-wormer called Wazine, which I got from Tractor Supply. It's added to their water. I'm hoping this will help my girls, as I never realized until recently how frequently they should be treated. Mice carry tons of parasites, so that may be a contributing factor to your girls. Also, last year, I noticed that when I gave my girls lots of healthy scraps, their egg production went down. They really needed that balance of a layer feed to produce eggs regularly. The mealworms are great because it's a protein and good source of omega fatty acids. My chickens love cracked corn, but it never had much nutritional value. The scratch grain and cracked corn goodies could also contribute to your field mice issue? Anyway, I'm okay with my older girls slowing down on egg production as it seems to have really taken a toll on them. I have a new flock that are 12 weeks old now, so I should be getting a stable supply of eggs by late July or early August (3 barred rocks and 3 black sex-links).

I hope this may help. By the way, which brand/type of feed are you feeding them? If you haven't changed it, maybe it's time for a change?

Take care,
Jennifer

 

[Joe Rampata]

I am having the same problem, I have eight hens and one rooster, Welsummers.
They layed great all summer, no molt,good feed and have even extended light.
I went from three to seven eggs a day down to none or one a day, can,t figure it out.

 

[aart]

I am having the same problem, I have eight hens and one rooster, Welsummers.
They layed great all summer, no molt,good feed and have even extended light.
I went from three to seven eggs a day down to none or one a day, can,t figure it out.

They may still be molting, or getting ready to, it can be pretty subtle.
How old are they?