The women in my life are being difficult as of late....
Three weeks ago my chickens stopped laying. Completely and with no warning. My first thought was that they were slowing down on their laying due to the cold weather, however the temperatures were in the 50's when this started.
I supplemented light and heat. No luck....
I added a new roost just to give them more space, thinking maybe there was some type of teenage girl syndrome going on. No luck....
I then started playing them music, and even researched what type of music chickens preferred. (It turns out supposedly chickens like country and classical music...) No luck....
Finally last weekend when I was at my wits end with my non-egg producing hens, I had a heart to heart chat with them. I explained that they were responsible for producing my breakfast, and I was making resolutions to stop eating out in the morning for breakfast therefore I needed them to produce eggs! Still no luck, and no eggs....
Well, the Reluctant Farmer went out tonight to put the girls to bed and she came in with a surprise. I finally got an egg! It isn't enough to make us breakfast in the morning, however it is a start. Guess I might be eating oatmeal for a few days until I have enough eggs to scramble, but I am hoping that my egg-less spell is coming to an end. Fingers crossed!
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If your girls are free ranging during the day they are probably hiding the eggs somewhere. Watch where they go and follow.
ReplyDeleteThey don't free range during the day. They have an outdoor enclosure that they run around during the day and then I let them out into the yard when I get home at to run about. I looked all over the yard and found nothing. The only thing I can attribute it to is a food change. They were on Purina Omega 3 pellets and then I switched them to a crumble that our local feed store makes. Well, I had run out of the crumbles that they were eating and picked up their Purina, and that is right about when they stopped laying. Do chickens stop laying if there is a food change?
DeleteAre they molting?
ReplyDeleteThey are out of molt by about 4-6 weeks. They slowed down from 10-12 eggs a day to 4-6 eggs a day when they were molting. Think that is my problem?
DeleteI have changed my girls feed and it didn't affect them. Do you give them any type of treats during the day? We keep feed in the feeder at all times and of course fresh water at all times. In the morning, we toss out some treat for them, just to scratch around and wake up, then in the evening when I top off their feed and change their water, I give them a bit more. We were getting the Harvest Delight at Tractor Supply, but it's quite spendy, so I went to the wild bird section and picked up a couple of bags that included many of the same things that are in the Harvest Delight and the like it just fine.
ReplyDeleteI am up to 4-5 eggs a day now, which it pretty good from where I was a few weeks ago! :)
DeleteThe only thing I can contribute it to is the fact that they were unhappy with the pelleted feed vs. their homemade feed from the grainery down the street. When I looked back at it they quit laying the day after I started them on the pellets, and I had eggs the day after I switched them back. I googled this and some people report that their hens stopped laying for 30 days after they switched feed. Goofy chickens!
Interesting about the Harvest Delight. I am going to have to try the bird seed route, it sure would be cheaper!
I am having the same issues. My hens lay 2 per day. I was used to about 15. I haven't changed my food or anything. As I was talking about this with my sister the other day I remembered EVERY YEAR we go thru this and EVERY YEAR I try to figure out why they aren't laying. I am hoping to get them moving soon since I did have to break down the other day and buy eggs. (that one hurt.)
ReplyDeleteI just found this blog I am loving it.
Thank you so much for your kind words, and I am glad you love my blog! :) I hate to buy eggs from the grocery, but I have had to do that too for the last few weeks. (Seems senseless since I pay all that money to feed chickens!) Sigh....
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