Why won't my Hens lay any longer?

[aart]

No disrespect intended to anyone who offered contradicting advice but I believe "for everything there is a season" is true.
I think the oder hens stop laying when the days are shorter for a reason ; they need a rest. Their bodies are stressed. They are molting & growing new feathers. A little extra protein probably won't hurt and may help with molting. I don't add light because I feel like mine deserve a rest.

Even with lights they still molt and get that rest.

 

[woodmort]

Even with lights they still molt and get that rest.

Yup. Ma Nature can't be thwarted.

 

[illinoishiker]

This might be a good place to ask this question. I have some hens starting their third year. They haven't been laying for a few months while molting. Now finished molting and not laying with the cold short days. My question is should I keep them for another year or will they not lay well enough to justify the food cost? I do have some young pullets just starting to lay. I don't use lights. Another question! If I keep ones that have been good setters will they go broody even if not laying well next spring/summer? My new pullets are not breeds that will go broody and I'd like to hatch some chicks next spring/summer.

 

[aart]

My question is should I keep them for another year or will they not lay well enough to justify the food cost?

Only you can make that decision.
How well they might lay later is hard to guess.
I rotate my layer stock every year,
hatch some new chicks and sell or slaughter some older hens.
Decisions based on my space for overwintering and other attributes of the older birds.

 

[chkncrazy]

I second that...... most breeds by 4 years old lay at most 30 to 50 eggs a year.... mine laid maybe 15, I had 3 year olds left, eapecially if they're sexlinks that num will prob be 0 by 4 years, although I did have older non sexlinks ones go broody if they saw a pile of eggs..... if its eggs you are mostly after and they are not pets you see by the 2nd to 3rd gear their production goes down to almost half their fourth year it's down to 1/4 depending on the breed. And mine are living the life of Riley up here on my farm there's nothing they want so it's definitely not nutrition, housing predator or lighting.... but I have yet to rule out the egg stealing gnome....lol

 

[gimmie birdies]

Most of my hens are under 2 and I have some that are 7 months old, I had some hens that stopped laying for a bit, but once my young hens started laying, they all did even some old hens I had. I think they are "joiners".

 

[chkncrazy]

Most of my hens are under 2 and I have some that are 7 months old, I had some hens that stopped laying for a bit, but once my young hens started laying, they all did even some old hens I had. I think they are "joiners".

Isn't there a saying once you put a bunch of women together they all get on the same cycle hahaha

 

[Apis mellifera]

My hens started molting in mid to late September, the molt is over now and they started laying today. I mixed all flock and layer 50/50 when the molt started and will switch back to all layer now. Not sure if they help with laying but pumpkins are dirt cheap now and they love them.

 

[chkncrazy]

My hens started molting in mid to late September, the molt is over now and they started laying today. I mixed all flock and layer 50/50 when the molt started and will switch back to all layer now. Not sure if they help with laying but pumpkins are dirt cheap now and they love them.

Why won't my hens eat pumpkin!!!!!
......mt leghorns are like feed only...or forage... lol

 

[gimmie birdies]

I put out fresh straw, and here is eggs from today.

Most of my hens are this years, and when they started to lay, even the lazy hens who are older decided to lay. The blue is the older hen, EE, one light tan is an older SFH, the BCM eggs are a young one this year, the matte spotted dark browns are a welsummer, and the white is a spizenhauben. I also have an AC and an AC/BCM mix laying as well (hers look like a welsummer egg but no spots )and some BA they are laying a white and one is laying an off white.