Why Aren't My Chickens Laying? Here Are Your Answers!

[stickers]

Hi, it could also depend on the breed. My sussex are laying an egg a day each with no supplimental light or heat and my Marans are laying 1 egg total between 7 pullets per day.

 

[MountainChickenMama]

My polish/silkie is still laying daily and she was born on Easter of this year, my blue silkie who is the same age at the EE I spoke of hasn't started laying at all...so weird...

 

[kuntrygirl]

Great post!!! I just did a search and typed in the word "stress" and it brought me to this thread. I had no idea that this thread was here. The reason that I was looking for information on stress is that I thought that my girls were stressed because their egg production was down to an all time low. I have about 150 chickens and out of those 150, I have/had/won't have again a total of about 30 roosters. Many of these roosters were from the 2010 hatching. I finally caught about 25 roosters so far and put them up/off the ground. They are on their way to freezer camp. Some have already made it to freezer camp, have checked in and in their cozy bunk beds.

During the last couple of months, I noticed a drastic decrease in my girl's egg laying. At first I though that the decrease in eggs was due to worms because I found a worm in their poop. So, I wormed all of them but still nothing to write home about as far as more eggs being layed. Then...... I clipped all of the wings and the egg production dropped even lower. I was floored. After having enough of seeing those rooster roaming around, is when I caught them. I knew that I should have penned the roosters up sooner but I didn't.

Something told me that my girls could been "stressed" and stress could be playing a part in their low egg production. (Which is why I turned to BYC to research stress and how it plays a role in hen's egg laying.) Well lo and behold, after the girls have adjusted to not having those roosters around, my egg production has increased to 2 dozen eggs daily. I was in shock when I noticed the change.

So, I do support the idea that stress plays a role in egg production. I will NEVER again have that many roosters in my chicken yard.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
You do have too many roosters and them competing for mating privileges can bring stress into the group. One to two roosters is the max you need for 19 hens, really. However, the time of year and the age of your birds has probably more to do with it at the moment.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
From first hand experience, I would say that you have too many roosters. I experienced the same thing. After removing about 25 roosters, egg production is up! Get rid of some of those boys.

 

[sammy2]

Thanks for the sticky I was just about to post this same question.

My 1 hen lost her buddy 2 months ago she had already not been laying 1 months prior-we got her a friend but still no eggs (and the friend is a roo and pecking her - another post)

I think she layed her last egg in late aug/sep-is that too long to go without laying? approx 3-3 1/2 months?-she is about 1 3/4 years old.

 

[mahoney]

My Wyandottes are laying great two eggs a day out of four bantam hens .I give my hens a little organic apple cider vinegar with the mother,just a little in a gallon of water.It fired them right up and they are getting better.

Danny

 

[walfarmchiks]

Great Oregon Extension Services article. Thanks! We acquired our chicks at Easter in 2009 and they produced their first eggs in about June of that year. We didn't know any different, and apparently neither did they, because they produced well into the fall. 10 hens, about 9 eggs per day from the lot! Lots' of double yolks in mega-eggs as well. One prolapsed cloaca, which I persisted in pushing back in, smothered in both antibiotic cream and Prep. H, as per my local vet. He said the birds almost always succumbed, but I didn't give up, and two weeks later it was A-OK and she was a prolific layer right up until one of my rural neighbour's dogs ran up and killed her right in front of me. Sorry day. Shoulda shot that darn free-ranging dog.....

Anyhow, this past fall, as of about Oct. 15th, they all simultaneously stopped laying for all intents and purposes, over about 2 weeks. This accompanied their recovery from both natural molt and their own internal bickering (they were in too small a run area; 8 birds [one died from disease] in about80 sq. ft. Now it's better: about 120 sq ft for 8 birds. The result was a lot of big patches of bare skin. All healed over now!)

As of this past two weeks, despite bitter cold and wind (-8˚ F some nights) they are now coming back on-line. I didn't like the article's mention that they will really slow down at about 18 mo, and then stop at about 3 years, since I'm there @ 18 months now, but my local egg-raising friend says that's just not so. She has chickens well over 4 years old that produce about 3 - 4 eggs per week.

Question: the hen that the dog killed became a slightly tough slow-cooked chicken stew dinner. (BTW, that ended the controversy about whether you could eat a pet hen you'd named. Didn't seem logical to just toss her...) I took the opportunity to do a bit of an internal physiological examination (I am a wildlife biologist after all...) and noted with great interest the oviduct layout inside Piccolo. The starting point is a cluster of already-formed tiny egg yolk sacs, a cluster of, I estimated, about 120 of them ranging in size from <1mm to about 6-8mm.

The connecting duct had 3 yolks in it, ranging in size from about 1cm (10mm) up to about 18 - 20mm (just under one inch). I wondered if they have a set number of egg yolks, as in human females, and when they're gone, that's it. I'll assume there's a few other very tiny little proto-egg yolk sacs developing under the cluster of visible ones, yes? Anyone know the answer to that?

We're back up to about 3-4 eggs per day now. They have access to a thermostatically controlled [32˚ to 40˚ temp range via a Thermocube™ controlled outlet] and well-insulated coop, so they are not stressed too much by this cold weather. They also get some morning and noon-day sun, even despite the cold temps.

They, and I, am now officially looking forward to about April 1, 2011 and a return to more rational temps!

 

[Grand-hen-ma]

Hello peeps! Hope everyone's turkey day was awesome. I need some help please.

One of my grandson's was given 3 hens from his grandfather. (They live in St. Pete Florida.) The 3 girls were with other hens, quail, phesants and ducks. When my grandson brought them to my house, I put the 3 in a quarrentine pen and will keep them there for another week or so. These 3 new girls are around 7 months old and have never laid any eggs. I am thinking they didn't have the right food and maybe their living conditions weren't all that clean. Am I on the right track? How can I tell the approximate age of these girls? They are a mixture of who knows what but one of them, the largest of the 3, is a smoke/silver color. Any idea what she might be? All their combs and waddles are small. I will try and get some pictures and post them.

Also, is it really necessary to build a private hen house for my girls? They seem to do just fine as they are. I am also concerned with the cold. I know Florida isn't snowville, but I am concerned for my girls.

Thanks for any help.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

This has been a great thread and lots of info. passed. I want to Thank all of you.