Zero Eggs!😫

[aart]

Here's a follow-up question: Does it make any difference if I buy early spring vs. late spring chicks on their likelihood for a first year molt?

I've found it to be a delicate balance of timing whether they will start to lay before older birds molt and stop laying...and it can be a crap shoot whether pullets will continue to lay all winter.
I like my chicks hatched at end of March or early April.

 

[B_Chickle01]

Oh ok so this is normal for us because of location and season. I was starting to get really worried when I came on here and starting reading one thread about how many eggs people received for the day and saw everyone was still getting them! But I didn’t know where they were from so I figured It’d be best for me to post something. They look like they are going through a soft molt actually there’s feathers all over their coop and I JUST changed their bedding! Idk if you can see all the feathers I attached a photo to make sure they’re def molting.

I didn’t see any of my hens feathers those are all of my pullets feathers.

 

[alwaysthere4chickens]

Everyone is definitely not still getting eggs , or at least reduced number! As above, there are various factors involved, especially this time of year. Some people even have to - gasp - buy eggs ...

All of our hens are still laying and it is freezing temps.

 

[B_Chickle01]

Not only do daylight, molting, temperature, age, and stress have an effect on egg laying, but also the breed(s) of bird you have as well as each individual hen.

I have some hens who continue to lay like clockwork and others who take the whole winter off! I try to vary my breeds, as well as do some late summer hatching in order to have eggs in the winter. But, that said, I have plenty of freeloaders right now and it's definitely not a sign that you are doing anything wrong. They usually pick up towards the end of January.

A bunch of freeloaders two are sebrights one is a porcelain d’uccle and the one hen we took in we call her big mama she’s a golden comet(I think! The guy we took her from didn’t know so I had to guess) but none of them are laying and they’re all different breeds so I was starting to worry if it was something I was unknowingly doing!

 

[B_Chickle01]

I get eggs daily (or every other day) from my seven pullets (hatched this May), but I rarely get eggs from my 1.5-year-old hens. I hope that they resume laying as the days get longer and they finish molting. Some people add lights to their coops to help prolong laying.

My hen she’s a year old maybe a little over she lays like a champ typically but she hasn’t laid at all. She’s not molting but she’s older and it’s colder and not a lot of daylight. But I read mixed things about the supplemental lights and how it’s not good for them that they need time for their bodies to adjust naturally and should let nature take its course so I decided not to do it. I have a blue light in there just for heat but it’s suppose to be nighttime lighting so it’s not like they’re getting supplemental light.

 

[Tonyroo]

People getting normal egg amounts are in the southern regions of U.S.

 

[Chickenzerbest]

This is our first winter together(my family and our flock) they’re 7months old.. I live in NY and it’s been freezinggg we haven’t had any eggs at all in over a week! Is that normal for them to go that long?! We have 3 pullets and 1hen.

I once had a problem like that and it was because I did not have enough calcium in there diet

 

[Poultrybonkers]

You should consider doing some research of the breed it should give you a time table of when they would lay.

There breeds ive owned already

 

[B_Chickle01]

Shortened day light hours is for sure a factor. In addition are you certain that, given your freezing conditions, they are getting adequate water to drink?

Yes i bought a them one of those heated waterers it’s down in their run. At night I’ll put a tiny bit up top for them all in a little tiny one for chicks. I saw one of my silver sebrights going up in the nesting box she particularly favors but no egg! They are molting too so that and season appears to be the culprit.

 

[cmom]

The first year the birds will go through several molts. Sometimes they will lay then suddenly stop for awhile. It happens. They will start up again and will lay good. Some breeds do tend to start laying later than others. I have some heritage breeds that don't start laying until they are around 8/9 months old. They are just starting to lay now. Some of my others have been laying for awhile. My older birds aren't laying well and I get an some eggs from them now and then. I do get eggs every day but I have a lot of birds. In the spring they will lay. I will have eggs galore then. I don't know how important light is. Years ago I had lights in every coop on a timer. My timer died but I just left the lights on. They are rather dim LED lights. They are 1 watt each but put out light equivalent to 11 watts each. I have one light in each coop. They stay on 24/7/365. The birds don't seem to be laying any differently. Maybe it's not bright enough to really affect them. I have a friend who raises Sebrights for show. His birds usually stop laying in the winters here. Come spring all of the birds will start laying well. At least here they do.