Unhappy hens. What went wrong?

[americana-lover]

All of a sudden, my hens are unhappy. They have stopped laying for about 2 weeks now, at first I thought, " aw, it's ok, they're just molting" but now it's been longer and still no eggs. They're still molting, but its been weird, because last year, my girls were laying last year when they were molting. Over the summer, I've been getting at least 4-5 eggs a day. But now, they're afraid of me, whenever I walk up, they just run. But I used to be able to pick them up whenever I want. Here are some things you may want to know about my girls:

- I have 5 Americanas
- they were hatched April 10, 2010
- I'm remodeling their coop, so they're not getting as much free range time as they used to
- they've been laying for about a year
- they're molting, and have been for about 2 weeks
- recently, 2 hens have been sleeping in the egg boxes, just to get away from the others
- they have been picking on each other lately
- it's getting colder out, could that be anything?
Please help me, I don't know if any things wrong with them, or if they have worms, or if its the weather, or if because they're molting.




Please help me.

 

[Happy Chooks]

It can take roughly 3 months for a molt to finish. Once they get all their feathers back in, they have to get their body weight back up before they can start laying again. The break is necessary for their bodies, just be patient.

 

[coffeekittie]

To help them want to be near you again, try hand feeding treats - like dried mealworms, tiny chunks of fruit, meat, or whatever they like. Keep trying, be still and quiet and just talk to them while offering the goodies. Be patient and stay positive, they will come around. They have a lot going on - a lot of changes - and need time to adjust.

 

[roostersandhens]

i dont know try giving them some persimens so that will make them happy my chickens love those!