What Is Wrong W/ My Chickens???????

[chixrus]

they've stopped laying!!! i was getting 9-11 eggs a day, and now i'm down to 3!!!! we have lighting in the coop, they're penned up so they can't lay anywhere...UGH I'M SO FRUSTRATED!!!

 

[Mahonri]

I have a hen that laid 9 eggs in 15 days and now she's quit me. I have her in a breeding pen out of the coop where the light is on from 6AM to 8PM.

Must be the time of year.

 

[M To The Maxx]

Are they loosing feathers? It could be molting.

 

[jjthink]

Their bodies need to rest during the shorter days of the year (lighting beyond natural daylight hours may wear hens out sooner - I don't do it). It is natural for them to take a rest and it's good for them to rest. It is not something to be upset about. This will make them stronger and able to resume more active egg laying in the spring and summer. You will find a lot of information about this by reading on this site.
Of course, all that said, make sure they always have really good and fresh nutrition as this can affect the ability of their bodies to do the work required to make an egg.
JJ

And p.s., as noted above, during molting (and for a time before and after) they don't lay much if at all then either. Molting uses a tremendous amount of energy and there is none to spare for making eggs. They need really good nutrition during this time as well.

 

[chixrus]

i doubt that they're moulting since they just started laying less than two months ago

 

[RubyMabelandPearl]

My chickens just started laying two months ago and one of them is molting. Pearl, my white leghorn, went from laying 6 (!) eggs a week to 0 in a week. There are white feathers everywhere.

 

[chicknmania]

We never use artificial light to force them to lay. I agree, they need a rest. They will lay plenty in the spring. When they drop off on laying, we make sure they have vitamins, so they will be healthy when they begin overwhelming us with eggs in the spring!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
The time when a bird starts laying has nothing to do with when they will molt. A bird molts regardless of if/when they are laying. If it's that time of year, they will molt.

 

[stacia907]

I have a similar question to chixrus-I may be a little anxious about this since she just started laying but here it is: one of my chickens layed her first egg last week then none the next day then one and now it's been 3-4 days and no more eggs! Is this normal? My girls free range and I was worried that she may have started laying them outside the nesting box but I live in Anchorage AK and it's REALLY cold right now and I have searched the yard and found nothing. Any ideas? I have a heat lamp on them to extend their days to 12 hours of sun-I know some think this isn't right but if I didn't I wouldn't get eggs most of the year!

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
Heat or light? Significantly extending light unnaturally may well do your birds in sooner.
JJ