Why are they not laying anymore

[The fluffy bums]

So I have five hens. They within the past two weeks have been laying less and less and we are at the point where none of them are laying. But nothing has changed we thought it could be moulting but they aren’t losing feathers. And I’m really hoping it’s not a parasite. Is it possible they do have a parasite? Can a parasite transfer to all of them? (I’m not too sure If that made sense) what do you think it could be? And what can I do to help them start producing again?

 

[aart]

Hmmm...well, don't jump to dire conclusions(parasites).
First, tell us how old, in months, your birds are.
What all and how exactly you are feeding?
Any changes in population, feed, housing, etc?
Do you free range?
Seeing any funky poops?


It would be good to check them over real well for mites and/or lice.

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.



Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

 

[Pretty Birds]

Hens laying production tend to slow down in the winter and sometimes stop altogether. What breeds do you have? Some breeds lay better in cold weather than others.

 

[The fluffy bums]

So we are feeding them grains and scraps and we have a feeder that we just refill I got them in July they we did not to long ago lose 7 chickens and at that point they were free in the backyard and then at night would go in the coop but now they are not allowed out of the coop and run because of predators but in the summer we are building them a bigger area they look the same they are acting the same. today I got 2 eggs. So 2 of them are a Rhode Island Red and three are Plymouth Rock.

 

[leslielbk]

Is it cold where you live? Is it very cold?
They do much better with layer feed. It is formulated for optimal egg-laying. Try as we might we can't match that with kitchen scraps and additional grain.
If it isn't cold where you are are they molting? They definitely won't lay when that's happening.

 

[The fluffy bums]

So it is not to cold it anywhere between-2 and -14. Sorry they are on layer feed I forgot I’m not the one who takes care of which feed so I’m not to sure on anything other then it is layer feed. And there is no feather anywhere so I’m not sure what it is.

 

[Pretty Birds]

today I got 2 eggs. So 2 of them are a Rhode Island Red and three are Plymouth Rock.

So it is not to cold it anywhere between-2 and -14.

2 eggs out of 5 hens in the winter is not terrible. They may have just slowed down because of the winter temperatures.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So it is not to cold it anywhere between-2 and -14.

Probably Celsius, not Fahrenheit. It's pretty normal for them to reduce laying in "extreme" weather. That can happen in summer amid heat spells too.

How are you handling light? Are you providing extended light? Some people might tell you that you have to have 14 hours of light for them to lay. My chickens did not read that part of the book, they lay with much less. It's pretty normal for some pullets to skip the molt and lay throughout their first winter like yours are doing. Not all do that but it is pretty normal with your breeds. Expect yours to molt next fall and stop laying until the molt is over. They will no longer be pullets.

But chickens need to eat enough to keep warm and to make eggs. They will burn up more energy to stay warm when it is cold. With the days pretty short they may not have enough time to eat a lot, maybe not enough extra to pop out an egg each day. So they cut back laying.

Some people extend the lights in winter to get more productivity. To me it's not worth it. I just make sure they have food and water available when they are awake.