Zero Eggs!😫

[kmerritt59]

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.

It’s normal. They probably also molted so their energy is going into growing new feathers. As the days grow longer, they will start laying again.

 

[Anniefromarkansas]

The short daylight hours in the northern hemisphere can suppress laying at this time of year. My hens are all gearing up to lay right now after an almost two month break (we got an egg or two daily from 10 hens during that period). My new pullets began to lay and this past week some of the older ones joined so we are now up to 6 a day and climbing.

Stress, cold, and molting are other possible reasons for a lull in eggs, though such young birds often don't molt their first winter.

Hi, Anniefromarkansas,,
I have 17 hens ( all variety of breeds) and 2 roos, all 10 months old,, the hens started laying sporadically@4 months then gradually picked up speed to 15 eggs a day for several weeks,then shorter days and freezing temps halted egg production, I sought advice, was told to possibly increase some egg production, feed crushed red pepper flakes,,it supposedly warms up the body and along with the flakes, provide artificial light to stimulate daylight and use infrared lighting for heat if cold nights and mornings are less than 30°..
We've done all and we're getting anywhere from eggs 2- 6 eggs every 2nd or 3rd day. So we're getting some!
No they haven't melted yet ,too young, I think they molt at 1 yr..
Hope this helps!

 

[Chickenclaude]

So cold that they are using all their stores to stay warm...I don’t mind giving them a break from laying...they give me their all the rest of the year.

 

[Offshoreorca]

We’re just getting 6-10 eggs a day now with some of the last hens coming out of molt. I wouldn’t expect a full basket of eggs for another month or two, but I think our mild temperatures are contributing to an early start to this year’s laying.

 

[jeanette bettis]

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.

Look around to see if they have not found a hiding place. One of my girls squeezed between my shed and a chain link fence and had layed 11 eggs and was roosting. I even hosed her with water and she refused to move. I had to go around the block and take a bolt cutter to cut a small hole in the fence big enough for my hand to reach thru to get the eggs. These girls are so spoiled . For breakfast my 4 girls and 3 ducks get chopped lettuce , tomatoes, cucumber, celery every day. They started to lay at about 5 or 6 months and at 8 1/2 months I still get 4 eggs every day. I am in CA and last night we had frost on car. Coldest night this year. And they have a coop heater that is always on.

 

[chicken fam]

I've heard some chicken don't like to lay when it's cold outside so that could be it

 

[Cluckminster Fuller]

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.

Mine stop and start sometimes. The new ones weren't laying much until they were closer to 8 months. I use a red heat lamp in the henhouse, preferably just to give them 12 hours of light by timer, and they lay more. Be careful of safety/fire issues, but I've never had a problem. It's not unusual for them to lay less in the winter or to take breaks. Have they been stressed by anything you know of? That can slow them down, too.

 

[B_Chickle01]

Look around to see if they have not found a hiding place. One of my girls squeezed between my shed and a chain link fence and had layed 11 eggs and was roosting. I even hosed her with water and she refused to move. I had to go around the block and take a bolt cutter to cut a small hole in the fence big enough for my hand to reach thru to get the eggs. These girls are so spoiled . For breakfast my 4 girls and 3 ducks get chopped lettuce , tomatoes, cucumber, celery every day. They started to lay at about 5 or 6 months and at 8 1/2 months I still get 4 eggs every day. I am in CA and last night we had frost on car. Coldest night this year. And they have a coop heater that is always on.

They are no longer free ranging since there’s no cover from all the trees being bare..we lost one of my porcelain D’uccles 4months ago. But i have good news!!! Our oldest hen finally laid her first egg yesterday and today she laid another! Just waiting for the others to follow suit

 

[stavo]

Got some great advice on this thread while my hens had virtually stopped laying in the winter. Sure enough, they're back to almost max production now.

So my new plan is to add 2-3 new chicks every spring so that they hopefully will not molt the first winter and can get me by with eggs until the rest of the flock is finished molting.

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?

 

[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.