Will my hens lay eggs again?

[Tookie]

Hello! I have 2 Plymoth Rock hens who are going to be 4yo in spring, they haven't laid eggs in awhile. They molted in fall, so they stopped laying eggs during the molt, but they haven't started laying eggs yet, will they lay again? I have a EE hen who is the same age as them and molted at the same time, she recently started laying eggs again. I am just wondering if my hens will lay again.

 

[azygous]

Your hens should have started to lay by now. There could be an issue with what they eat. What and how much do you feed?

Light. Are they exposed to natural sunlight? How many hours a day?

Stress factors. Have you inspected them for parasites? Lice and coop mites become active in early spring. Stress of this sort can affect laying.

 

[WIchickMama]

They could be slowing as well, so they might not lay as much as before. Also, not sure about you but the wonky winter weather is affecting everyone, animals included.

 

[Tookie]

They have access to food all the time, they also free range. They have about 12 hours of daylight a day. I am currently dealing with mites. This is what they eat.

 

[Tookie]

They could be slowing as well, so they might not lay as much as before. Also, not sure about you but the wonky winter weather is affecting everyone, animals included.

They are probably slowing down somewhat. I live in Central Texas so we don't get snow and really cold weather.

 

[azygous]

Did you know mites cause anemia, and that would affect laying?

 

[Tookie]

Did you know mites cause anemia, and that would affect laying?

Yes, I did know that.

 

[GoldenGryphon]

Hello! I have 2 Plymoth Rock hens who are going to be 4yo in spring, they haven't laid eggs in awhile. They molted in fall, so they stopped laying eggs during the molt, but they haven't started laying eggs yet, will they lay again? I have a EE hen who is the same age as them and molted at the same time, she recently started laying eggs again. I am just wondering if my hens will lay again.

I live in SSE Texas. Many of my hens are 3 years old heading into their fourth year. I had the typical stop in Fall for molting, but most of them were slow to come back. Some hadn't started laying again until the past couple of weeks!
I wouldn't worry about it. You're treating the mites. I'm sure they're getting a good diet. They're just running behind schedule. As someone else had said to me recently, "asking them to lay so frequently puts great strain on them. That they do so, and remain healthy and friendly just points out where chickens are better than humans."

 

[Tookie]

I live in SSE Texas. Many of my hens are 3 years old heading into their fourth year. I had the typical stop in Fall for molting, but most of them were slow to come back. Some hadn't started laying again until the past couple of weeks!
I wouldn't worry about it. You're treating the mites. I'm sure they're getting a good diet. They're just running behind schedule. As someone else had said to me recently, "asking them to lay so frequently puts great strain on them. That they do so, and remain healthy and friendly just points out where chickens are better than humans."

Hi! My Plymoth Rock hens did recently start laying, they are laying eggs almost everyday! I also have almost got rid of the mites!