Eggless

[MadTripper]

Looking for a little help.

Our chickens have quit laying eggs. I have 7 hens and two roos all just about 1 year old. The weather has been warm but they have plenty of water and food as well as a large run full of grass, bugs and occasionally kitchen scraps. I also offer up oyster shell a few times a month.

We went on vacation last Sunday and our neighbor was checking in and feeding them. When we came home on Thursday, he said he didn't see an egg all week. I had some roos eating eggs but they have been removed and even then, there were shells around. They don't seem to be losing feathers that I would associate with moulting.

Any thoughts? Food and watering has remained consistant. Breeds are varied. I have always fed in the morning and afternoon, collecting eggs every afternoon. I checked their run and all around for a nest but nothing.

Tripper

[QueenoftheFlock]

I may be completely and totally wrong, but I think when they are really young, laying is hit or miss. Well, let me put it this way - we have one tiny older banty hen who is not laying at this point (layed okay up until about a month or so ago), 4 hens that are a year or so old and a very protective roo and no eggs at all this summer. I just assumed it was that the "babies" are just too young to lay yet and I should plan on more regular eggs next year.

[MadTripper]

Well we have been a pretty steady 2 or so eggs a day since March. We have had some solid heat days lately and I suppose they could be moulting but it just seemed odd that they all quit at the same time.

Thanks for the reply!

Tripper

[Deberosa]

Mine are doing the same thing - 14 hens and I got one egg yesterday!!! Some are molting, one had chicks and two others decided to help mothering them!!! One more on a nest in the barn so it ends up with not very many eggs, but only one is a bit crazy. They don't really have a good place to hide any more nests - I cut off the entrance to the barn so hopefully no more setting hens!

[MadTripper]

That makes me feel a little better. All in all they seem to be pretty healthy, just not producing. Today is cloud cover and rain so perhaps it will shake them out of the heat or whatever. I know I need some more shade for them because they have stayed in the coop quite a bit lately but still laying. Time will tell I suppose!

Tripper

[annabella1]

If they don't start back up in a couple of weeks I would suspect some 2 legged varmints.

[lagatta]

May I pop in to ask a similar question? My roosters started crowing weeks ago, but none of my hens have started laying yet. I thought both sexes would mature at about the same time, but I guess I was wrong. I think they're about 4-1/2 months old.

Any idea how much longer I'll have to wait? And if they don't start laying, is there anything I can or should do? I've already started them on layer food and oyster shell.

[MadTripper]

My batch was the Special Assorted Bargain from Murray's. They arrived mid August and layed Easter weekend. I believe I started layer around 20 or 22 weeks. The winter probably extended my laying time a while as I didn't put a light in their coop.

Thanks for the reply on the varmint but we check in the morning and evening. They also are pretty close to the house and our children are typically playing outside so I'm confused. I'm not ruling the molt out at this point. We did have a bunch of rain today and they really enjoyed being outside. I think I'll set up a tarp for them to get some shelter from the heat and see if it helps.

Tripper

[walls0stone]

I'm starting to suspect that your birds have formed a union and will not lay untill you meet the demands... have you found a note? possibly writen in chickeen scratch...are they over worked? Are they Reds? the Canada geese may have planted some ideas.

just place a chopping block and the ax outside the coop, and you'll break them.

[EarthMother]

I have Barred Rocks, they are multi purpose IE meat and eggs. If I get new babies in the beginning of Spring thru the 1st of summer I don't see eggs until Dec or Jan. They aren't regular layers with a set pattern of daily laying until they are between 9-12 months.

So depending on breed I wouldn't expect eggs for another month or more. Mary

[MadTripper]

So depending on breed I wouldn't expect eggs for another month or more. Mary


Even if they had been laying regularly since March? I'm not 100% on my breeds but I believe 3 hens are dark cornish, two additional hens resemble reds, and the other two are polish of some sort and also bantams. The roos are a white leghorn and a dark cornish from what I can tell.

Tripper

[quietH2O]

I love "WallsOstone's" humor!!

I had a similar problem a while back. I'm a minimalist when it comes to this kind of stuff, but, I added a wormer to their water and they were laying again within a few days. Since then I apply wormer whenever the eggs stop and it seems to do the trick.

BTW If you've been spending money on oyster shells - I've learned recently that you can dry the chicken's own shells after you've used the contents and with a mortar and pestil grind them to a course grain and feed this back to them. Saves you a few cents and you can feel like a responsible recycler!!

[walls0stone]

Mad, you stink...now you got us talking about mixed bags of chickens around here... ;) I like stuff to be the same color.

the chopping block is an old local story...

realy the egg shell is a great idea...and my chickens have all been very happy since I gave them some extra, and we all have it, you know you do.... Zoo-keaney

(yea I wrote it that way)

I cut it in half and they peck out the fruit..pass up the corn for it..and talk about content

You can worm some critters with Red Man Chewing tobacoo

[Drawbar]

I love "WallsOstone's" humor!!

I had a similar problem a while back. I'm a minimalist when it comes to this kind of stuff, but, I added a wormer to their water and they were laying again within a few days. Since then I apply wormer whenever the eggs stop and it seems to do the trick.

BTW If you've been spending money on oyster shells - I've learned recently that you can dry the chicken's own shells after you've used the contents and with a mortar and pestil grind them to a course grain and feed this back to them. Saves you a few cents and you can feel like a responsible recycler!!

I would be leery about using wormer too much. I would think after a while the worms would form a resistance to it. I am not a chicken expert so this is not my place to say, but I am thinking trying to figure out why they are not laying, or why they have lots of worms would be more prudent then giving them lots of wormer.

I am not chiding you quieth20, I am just posting this to get you thinking prevention instead of cure maybe. ???

[MadTripper]

We feed them eggshells as well. We don't crush them up very fine but just break them up in a plastic bag with a meat tenderizier. They oyster shell is in a position where they can eat at will.

Perhaps I'll try the wormer although they don't appear to have any other symptoms.

Walls, you should try the assorted bargain, we have had a lot of fun watching them.

Tripper

[quietH2O]

Mine didn't appear to have other symptoms either; but after going a few months without eggs I asked around and worming was the solution offered. As I said, I'm a minimalist about such intervention; but sometimes situations warrant the use of medical intervention. I simply offer this as something that worked for my hens.

Hope you have some success! Let me know what works. If there's an alternative to worming that is equally effective - I'm all in.

[MadTripper]

I talked to a local guy at our feed store today and he said it could be molting. They haven't produced in about 3 weeks and he said it could be 6 or so weeks before they are done. I'll just keep an eye on them and see what happens.

We had our polish bantam disappear last night. She liked to get out of the fence and wander though so I figured she wasn't meant to stick around long. I haven't figured out what took her but my neighbor said there is a large red fox running around.

Tripper

[Northern_bushrat]

How do their feathers look and are there more than usual lying around the coop and run? If they're about a year old, they should start to molt and get their new feathers in before winter. This is triggered by shortening daylight. It's too hard on their bodies to grow both new feathers AND keep cranking out an egg a day, so they lay less and may quit entirely for a while. Give them about 8 weeks, then (if you can) use a lighbulb to trick them into thinking it's spring again. Provide them with enough artificial light to extend the daylight hours to about 14 hours, and they should start laying again.

Oh and while they're molting, you can give them different feed, just a maintenance ration. Would be interested to know if that's what the problem is?

-Ooops, I see somebody pointed you to that already :)

[MadTripper]

I'm thinking it might be more timing with their hatch instead of daylight. We still have quite a few hours of light here and other people are still laying. With their hatch date a week or so away, I'm leaning that way. We'll see although I'm going to have to order some more layers and meat birds for winter. I do have a lamp in their coop but don't have it running at the moment. I have a window to install and some board and batten to paint and put up as well.

Thanks,

Tripper

[MadTripper]

I'm chalking this up to molting. I noticed some fresh feathers coming in the past 2 weeks and today, we finally got an egg! Of course they were probably nervous since I am expecting my 10 brown layers and 15 meat birds tomorrow or Friday.

So, all in all it was about 1 month exactly and we only bought two dozen eggs during that time. Now its back to our normal menu of crepes, pancakes and breakfast for dinner. By the way, crepes may seem fancy but they are a great way to use up eggs if you are producing. One meal for us uses 8 eggs by doubling our recipe. Not to mention, they are easy and have almost endless possibilities.

Thanks for all that contributed!

Tripper