Why arent my hens laying?

[Tommy12241]

Hi I have 17 hens in a pen that's more than enough area for them all. They've got sand, shade, plants, bugs, water, and lots of places to hang out. But daily Ive only gotten about two or three eggs. They're fed the recommended amount of egg crumbles plus corn mixed in with it. Plus I take about two pounds of corn and spread it about all areas of the pen so they have something to scratch for and find. They're all very happy hens and i have two roosters in with them. It is fairly hot but their box is in the shade. They re used to be a dumb goat in there that would roll their nest box around and scare the fool outta them. So i figured they're just scared. Two weeks after removing the goat still the same amount. So i figured maybe one nest box isn't enough so Ive put four more out there. I also moved them into the open barn that's usually cooler and they can be more isolated. I'm still awaiting the results on that. Is there anything I'm doing wrong or that I can change to encourage them to lay. I'm going to build some elevated nest boxes also. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

could be the heat or their molting or number of other things.

 

[Incukahlan]

Just curious, what type(breed) of hens do you have and how old are they? I know that typically during the summer our hens slow way down due to the heat. If they are too young they may not be at point of lay yet, also depending on the breed, if they are older than two years, you may not get much. There's a few factors that fall into play when it comes to hens laying regularly. If they have to much "extra scratch" they may not lay as much, if they are not comfortable with the roosters they may be too stressed out to lay. Let me ask you this, you said that you typically get 2-3 eggs daily, where are they hens that are laying eggs laying them? Once all of this information is known, it will be easier to pinpoint the problem.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

Hi I have 17 hens in a pen that's more than enough area for them all. They've got sand, shade, plants, bugs, water, and lots of places to hang out. But daily Ive only gotten about two or three eggs. They're fed the recommended amount of egg crumbles plus corn mixed in with it. Plus I take about two pounds of corn and spread it about all areas of the pen so they have something to scratch for and find. They're all very happy hens and i have two roosters in with them. It is fairly hot but their box is in the shade. They re used to be a dumb goat in there that would roll their nest box around and scare the fool outta them. So i figured they're just scared. Two weeks after removing the goat still the same amount. So i figured maybe one nest box isn't enough so Ive put four more out there. I also moved them into the open barn that's usually cooler and they can be more isolated. I'm still awaiting the results on that. Is there anything I'm doing wrong or that I can change to encourage them to lay. I'm going to build some elevated nest boxes also. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I am in the same boat as you and I even adopted some hens that are 6 months old and still 0 eggs. I started them on layer mash.
My birds have the nicest accommodations lots to eat, snacks, fresh water.... Not one egg.
It is frustrating, It is hot here in Southern Florida, I hope that is not the reason for this apparent "egg strike" they are on.

 

[Tommy12241]

Just curious, what type(breed) of hens do you have and how old are they? I know that typically during the summer our hens slow way down due to the heat. If they are too young they may not be at point of lay yet, also depending on the breed, if they are older than two years, you may not get much. There's a few factors that fall into play when it comes to hens laying regularly. If they have to much "extra scratch" they may not lay as much, if they are not comfortable with the roosters they may be too stressed out to lay. Let me ask you this, you said that you typically get 2-3 eggs daily, where are they hens that are laying eggs laying them? Once all of this information is known, it will be easier to pinpoint the problem.

14 of them are rhode island red and the other three are white leghorn, Ameraucana, and a brahman. They are all over a year and are not molting. All but the three opposite breeds the rhode island reds have lived with the roosters their whole life. They all follow them around in a big group. Also the other three have been coveted into the group and follow them around and listen to the roosters. The hens that lay, lay in the next box. I only had one but I put in four more today because I figured maybe they didnt want to lay on the eggs that were already there. Or they dont feel like waiting in line (they would wait in line too ). So there is more next boxes now. Would installing a fan to cool the barn with the nest boxes in it help? Or would it not matter because its still hot outside?

 

[Tommy12241]

I am in the same boat as you and I even adopted some hens that are 6 months old and still 0 eggs. I started them on layer mash.
My birds have the nicest accommodations lots to eat, snacks, fresh water.... Not one egg.
It is frustrating, It is hot here in Southern Florida, I hope that is not the reason for this apparent "egg strike" they are on.

Oh and trust me I know about the Florida heat I live in the Ocala National Forest on a 140 acre cattle ranch and with those open pastures it gets HOT! but theyve got shade and its not too bad in their pen.

 

[Incukahlan]

Well it sounds like what it may come down to is the heat. It is very common during the summer to lose a lot of egg production. As far as nesting boxes go, it's typically reccomended that there be 1 for every 6. Of course an extra couldn't hurt anything. We keep a misting system in our outdoor coop, and last year had a fan in there, but haven't gotten one yet this year. You may want to try either of those to see if it helps. Obviously nothing at this point can hurt anything. The rest of the information seems fine and in my opinion points to the heat. See if you can fix that at all and hopefully it will make a difference. Once you find a way to cool their area down, it may take a week or so for their system to kick into gear again. Also, a very important question that I forgot to ask earlier. Have they been laying previously and then gradually stopped, or did it happen suddenly? How long have you had them?

 

[Tommy12241]

I used to get like 5-7 a day when it rained daily and cooled things off. But its been super hot the last couple weeks. Ive had them for about four weeks now. I can tell they are used to my pen and are happy as can be. So I agree its probably the heat. So im going to invest a little money into a fan. Thanks for the help.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

They're fed the recommended amount of egg crumbles plus corn mixed in with it. Plus I take about two pounds of corn and spread it about all areas of the pen so they have something to scratch for and find. 14 of them are rhode island red and the other three are white leghorn, Ameraucana, and a brahman. They are all over a year and are not molting.

Howdy neighbor!

Here are your problems as I see them.

First, stop feeding all of that corn. You are throwing their diet way off. Layer ration is meant to be a complete feed in that it contains everything a bird needs to build eggs with. When you add large amounts of corn you are throwing off the nutritional makeup of their diet so they are getting too much carbohydrates and not enough protein. If you just gotta give them scratch then throw out about half a handful per bird first thing in the morning. After that just their layer ration and whatever they can forage while free ranging.

Second, you say they are a year old. Do you mean they are literally only twelve months old or they've been laying for a year? As with any chicken you will get their best production in their pullet year which is when they will be between six to eighteen months old. After that they will molt, then resume laying. But you'll only get roughly 80% of the eggs you got their first year, assuming you feed them right. And they may take long breaks especially when the weather is hot like it is. Being that it's late July now this is the time they are either getting ready to molt or have already started. I'm in the next county over and am noticing more feathers on the ground lately. Sure sign that the molt has begun. You may want to bump up their protein slightly (simply stop giving them so much corn will do) so they can feather out faster.

Removing one of the roosters might help, but if it's an already established flock and none of the hens are showing bare places on their backs from overmating then I'd say it's probably not a problem.

 

[Tommy12241]

Alright thanks. Ill do that. And they are one year of age