why won't they lay anymore?

[Mahonri]

I have 20 hens in my big coop with 2 roos. Only 3 eggs today.
I have 7 hens in a 4X10 pen with 1 roo. Got 4 eggs from them.

The girls in the big coop are molting as there are feathers everywhere.

 

[DebiHill]

I'm having the same problem with no egg production. I'm a fairly new backyard chicken owner. I had 5 hens, no rooster. They have free-range, a ventilated coop with nesting boxes. Two hens were killed by a fox about 2 months ago and that stopped egg production for a few weeks. I then added 3 hens to the flock about a month ago, and no eggs have been laid since. Now 2 hens are starting to molt, though the days are still quite long here. Am not sure what, if anything, I can do to encourage egg production. I realize they won't produce when molting but 4 others are not molting. They have an excellent diet of high protein egg mash, supplemented with greens and kelp. Any suggestions?

 

[pearl287]

I'm having the same problem too. We went on vacation the end of July and were getting 4 - 6 eggs a day. They had slowed down I have 11 hens and one rooster, but since I got back I haven't had an egg. I don't know if it upset them for the man than watched my chickens I paid in eggs and he never left one behind in the nest box. They aren't molting. And if it is stress how long will it take them to get over it? What can I do to encourage them to lay??

 

[savingdogs]

Well I had this problem but for me I attribute it to the heat. Our weather has had very distinct hot and cold days and 100 percent of the days over 90 degrees I got few or no eggs. 100 percent of the days below 90 degrees I got the normal number, about seven to ten from the eleven that should be laying right now.
I have two that were broody and now have chicks (five between them) but they still have not started laying again. I wonder how long that takes? They were broody a long time and got quite thin but are starting to look much better now.

But I tell my customers that my hens strike in the heat and it makes for a good chuckle.

 

[sourland]

Could be the heat, onset of the molt, introduction of new birds and ensuing stress or more likely a combination of all three.

 

[maggiemmm]

OK, so now I know what has happened to my Girls... First a raccoon got 2 of them .. totally traumatized the remaining 8.... no eggs at all for about a week then it got to mid 90º's and even with a breeze from the lake and them foraging in the back woods... 2 eggs every other day. I see a few feathers .. so they may also be molting ... Hope my ducks begin to lay soon they will be 15 weeks next week... I am looking every day now.
Guantanamo is now totally electrified so no more lucky night predators . Thanks for the info.

 

[AmberWavesofGrain]

Thank you all for your help!!!
Amber