Why arent they laying?

[AJ666]

I have 6 hens and a rooster. They were laying just fine about a month ago, then they just stopped. One molted and finished molting, now three are in the process of molting. I could understand why they wouldnt lay eggs but there are three other hens not molting that could be. At the moment, we are getting NO eggs. ZERO. Nada. Its been that way for two weeks. WHY ARENT THEY LAYING????!!!

 

[halo]

Did you read the sticky at the top of this page?

 

[MustLoveHens]

Well two reasons, one is that chickens don't lay when then they molt. All their energy is redirected to feather production and not egg production. Secondly, the days are shorter. Hens need a minimum of 12-14 hours of day light to lay eggs. So, not enough light=no eggs. Not every hen follows this "rule" so to speak. I have 12 hens and 5 are still laying even with the shorter days.
Another thing to consider is that you may have some breeds that are seasonal layers. This means they lay in spring and summer and stop in fall and winter. They might lay very sporatically though.
HTH

 

[Junaleefarm]

Are your chickens in a coop with an enclosed run? If not they could be trying to hide the eggs to hatch out later. We free range our chickens and sometimes find large clutches of eggs stashed in a hiding place in the barn or woods.

 

[Sissy]

My ladies just started to lay again and its only 1 egg the last 2 months
so I added some dry cat food to their feed its high protein