Chickens low egg production

[dannanchieftain]

I have a small flock of about 20 white brahmas. I rasied them all from chicks there are about 16 hens.

When they started to lay eggs it was a bit slow but within a few months they were laying 6 to 10 or more every couple of days.

Now that has dropped down to one or two eggs every couple of days.

I dont understand why. does anyone know or have any ideas why?

the chickens are only about 16 months old I know egg production stops when they are molting but I dont see any signs of molting.

there have been no changes in food or routine since I started raising them.

[AlchemyAcres]

Could be a number of different things.....

Production gets less and less as they age, especially in the non-production breeds.

Has the drop in production been gradual or sudden?

The days are getting shorter. Are you providing supplemental light? Chickens need about 14 hours of light to maintain production.

~Martin :)

[hillbilly_mom]

My girls slow down on laying when it gets colder. They seem to not like the colder weather and won't start laying until Spring, when they all of a sudden will start laying tons of eggs.

[Suzy]

My approximate 80 hens are from four different batches of chicks over a five year period with about 20 of them the newest gotten this year....the egg production OVERALL has gotten lower suddenly than it ever has....and I don't know why...

Usually in the winters I have at least some that lay right along with no problem....no suddenly my egg customers are lining up....

So I don't have an answer to your problem but am having the same problem...with no known reasoning because conditions this winter are not any different than any other my chickens have gone through and I have about the same number of new chickens this year as I do most years...

anybody else with any thoughts on why this has hit both our farms like this???

[AlchemyAcres]

My approximate 80 hens are from four different batches of chicks over a five year period with about 20 of them the newest gotten this year....the egg production OVERALL has gotten lower suddenly than it ever has....and I don't know why...

Usually in the winters I have at least some that lay right along with no problem....no suddenly my egg customers are lining up....

So I don't have an answer to your problem but am having the same problem...with no known reasoning because conditions this winter are not any different than any other my chickens have gone through and I have about the same number of new chickens this year as I do most years...

anybody else with any thoughts on why this has hit both our farms like this???

Have you checked for parasites? Mites, Lice, Fleas, Nematodes, Tapeworms......

~Martin

[dannanchieftain]

I didnt know about the light issue so thanks for the tip. I was giving them about 8 hrs on a timer. I took the timer off and decided Id try full time light or is this wrong?

[AlchemyAcres]

I didnt know about the light issue so thanks for the tip. I was giving them about 8 hrs on a timer. I took the timer off and decided Id try full time light or is this wrong?

The timer should be set for 14-16 hours of total light (they need a rest period), added in the morning hours so the chickens can roost properly with the setting sun.

~Martin :)

[Suzy]

Yes, I've checked for parasites and they all seem o.k. that way....

There is a great article in the new BACKYARD POULTRY magazine (put out by the same folks who publish COuNTRYSIDE) and it talks about making sure chickens get plenty of light in the winter AND sealing off any ways that they are getting unusually cold or in drafts....it told about one guy who sealed everything off with empty chicken bags and his egg production went back up!

So I'm thinking of adding a light for a little while each night and see what happens.

He said that even a little additional light helps...

[pancho]

Like Martin said, it is better to add the extra hours in the morning and let them go to roost without lights. This makes it easier for them to get onto the roosts and is more natural.