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

[stokesdalefunnyfarm]

OK, I've read other comments and still don't feel good about what's going on, so I'm going to ask. I have 9 hens, I had 10, but one died about two weeks ago. She was the same age as the others, which are less than a year old. Her comb went from red to light red, almost white. She ended up dying. We were getting 8-9 eggs everyday and then it dropped to 5-6 a day. Now, we are at 1 egg every other day. We put a heat lamp in the coop thinking that they were cold at night and that was the reason for not laying. This hasn't made any difference. We're in North Carolina, so it isn't cold yet. Any thoughts?


Thanks!!

Jonathan

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

I actually came on here to ask this question....and found this article!
However I'm still posting since I've gone through all the possibilities and still can't figure out why my hens have completely stopped laying for over 6 weeks now. I have a huge assortment of birds or many breeds, ages, sizes, etc. My oldest ones are about 2 years old. The youngest ones around about 6 months. And there's everything in between. They're a good weight as well, fat even.
They have a huge indoor area, it's about 20ftX14ft and about 10ft high. There's also a screen door on each side allowing for ventilation and light. One door we keep open as it leads to a giant outdoor 22'X20' run.

I'm currently feeding the girls a mix of mostly layer (Kalmbach brand) mixed with a little oats, cracked corn, and the occasional bit of beet pulp and table scraps.
These birds have not laid a single egg in months. It just started getting a bit chilly here in western PA, the birds finished their molt weeks ago, and even so you'd think I'd get the occasional egg from our large flock of about 60 birds. In fact I had a couple hens escaping regularly, and I found that one of the escapees had been laying her eggs in a little nook in the barn wall 3 feet from the coop. However never a single egg in the coop. Not even evidence of a broken one. They even have feed almost 24-7, in the least the feed hopper may be empty but there's a scattering of seeds on the ground that hungry birds would readily pick up.

I've recently moved them to a friend's house due to a problem with flooding and because we are currently moving as well. Their new home (which they've been in for over 2-3 weeks now) is a large rubber matter horse stall. They still get plenty of light and feed, though i've increased the ratio of layer pellets to everything else. I've given them loose hay to nibble as well.

I got one egg the day after I moved them, and I'm not sure what to attribute that to.

Their enviorment is super clean, so are food and water thingies, they have ample room and light, they look fantastic, no ugly feathers, they're well fed....
We really haven't lost a whole lot of daylight and it's not super cold, It jsut doesn't make sense that every bird will have completely stopped laying by now.

Ok...what am I doing wrong? ideas?

 

[heath_elisha]

Thank you for the link! We are new to having chickens and all of it is a learning experience. We are proud of our flock and look forward to the entertainment they provide us each day.

 

[seminolewind]

I have 18 hens. I am getting 2 eggs a day right now. Some reasons:
5 Polish-not known to be great layers, and 3-4 years old.
3 JG's-4 years old
3 JG's 1.5 years old
3 Salmon Faverolles-3 years old, but seem to lay well
2 EE's, 3 yrs old, laid well all summer but not now
1 Barred Rock - 2 years old
1 Ameraucana-lays 5 eggs a year for 4 years now.

I had a BO that laid about 360 eggs a year for 3 years, then died.

From the list above, 4 are very good layers, 4 are pretty good layers , 10 are below average layers.
I never realized that breed and age are important factors, also molting.
The 6 best layers I have are all molting. Others are molting.

So I am using this time to worm and dust for bugs.
Eggs were never a priority with me, I just watch to help give me an idea of the flock health.

 

[chiggerbit]

I still can't help but wonder if it's possible that the genetic modifications to the grains that are used to make chicken food are to blame for some of the problems. Sorry, but I am very suspicious of GM.

 

[seminolewind]

Chigger, you're right to think about it. At this point we never really know how GM is going to affect us.

 

[Mark & Nique]

'tis the earth turning from the sun...it will be back and so will the eggs...

 

[cathyb68]

Ok, so my chickens were born May 20. They are certainly old enough to be laying eggs by now. Right? But I have yet to see the first egg. I have 4 Buff Orpingtons, 4 Barred Plymoth Rocks, 2 Dominiques, 1 Speckled Sussex, 2 Americaunas, 1 Redsexlink (we think, not sure as she was suppose to be a Buff Orp) and 1 either Black Jersy Giant or Black Australorp (she was suppose to be a Barred Rock). I wonder if they aren't laying since they don't get 14 hours of daylight. Would adding a light in the coop on a timer help? I love my chickens and will do whatever I need to do to help them be productive layers.

Thanks in advance for your advice

Cathy

 

[202roosterlane]

As I read through these posts I see alot of concerns.....Not all but a lot were made in the fall or when thier chickens were in molt. I think there are 101 reasons a chicken could be holding out. LOL And some of them really have nothing to do with us or what we are feeding them, how warm we are keeping them, or if we did not stand on one leg, holding a chicken feather up to a full moon and praying for eggs.

I think some of us are worried if we are doing "all" of the right things, could it be that they are sick? Possible, but more than likely not. I think if we have covered all the bases (food, illness, comfort, light,etc) all we should do know is just relax. My hope for everyone is when you least expect it, you hear the chicken song and giggle with joy.

To make you smile and laugh!!

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Egg production places Do put their lights on a timer to make sure they get an egg a day out of each chicken, so it's worth a shot. So is waiting. I have some chicks hatched around the same time yours were and they are still not laying....faces aren't red yet and those whose faces are red they are sitting around with crossed legs. I get 1 - 2 eggs a day out of hmm, let's see...11 hens. Of course I have 5 roos, so overbreeding might be part of my problem or it might be they are molting. Who knows. Good thing I can't use almost a dozen eggs a week.