# How long do hens quit laying for moulting?



## Dexter (Sep 27, 2008)

Due to several nights of bears rummaging through the coop last spring the hens went feral and began sleeping and laying eggs out in the field, just coming home to eat. 
About 3 weeks ago I locked the birds up in the coop 24/7. They have 18% layer plus oyster shell, a clean nest box... and a small, dim flourescent lightbulb which is actually on 24/7(there is plenty of dark space it's a huge coop).

Feathers are all back from what seems like a September/October moult (normal??)... and still not one egg. Nor messes from egg eaters. No "laying sounds" either. Anything else I can do? This sucks!!

Thanks for any help here!


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

The move may have upset them. Or maybe you have rats/snakes?
lack of eggs is going around though.


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## Dexter (Sep 27, 2008)

No rats or snakes here thankfully!
I was hoping they had settled in by now, maybe just.... keep waiting is the trick.
Thanks!


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Well, you add the stress of the move together with the weather getting coler, they probably figure they deserve a break


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## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

I bought some full grown hens this summer and it took about 3 weeks after the move before I started getting any eggs. So maybe you will see some soon.


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## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

Oh, and I don't know about how the 24/7 light would affect chickens. Even though they can go to a dark place to rest, the light being on all the time might affect their laying. This is just a guess, but to go from normal seasonal daylight hours to having the light on all of the time might cause more stress. Anyone else know if this is possible?


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

My EEer and Leghorn both molted in mid August. I've been getting white eggs for weeks; I have yet to find a blue one.


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## The Bunny Ranch (Nov 3, 2010)

They could stop laying up to a week before the molt all the way to a week or 2 after.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

lisa's garden said:


> Oh, and I don't know about how the 24/7 light would affect chickens. Even though they can go to a dark place to rest, the light being on all the time might affect their laying. This is just a guess, but to go from normal seasonal daylight hours to having the light on all of the time might cause more stress. Anyone else know if this is possible?


I give mine at least 6 hours darkness. i found that 24 hours of light makes them spazzier.


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

I have been having a lack of eggs like -0- they did go into molt most feathers are back but -0- eggs out of about 70+ hens something is not right. I 've wondered if something is going on with the feed there were a few times that the feed was bagged in the wrong bags and the feed 2 weeks ago really looked like pig and sow really pale. I am watching for critters and snakes but like the other person said no egg laying noises "announcement" from the hens. I don't know what to do but this is very costly. thanks JIL


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

At the risk of sounding repetitive......it's going around. Everyone comes up with "cures" but by now everyone knows about lights, protein levels, stressors and egg thieves. And still folks aren't getting eggs. Im starting to think that it's not anything we're doing.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

My mom's hens haven't been laying well since mid-summer. These are young birds - varying ages but all were hatched sometime between spring 2009 and spring 2010. Varying breeds too. She changed their feed once, to one with higher protein. It hasn't seemed to help anything. There really haven't been any major stressors - no major moves, etc. - other than the exceptional heat we had this summer. There just doesn't seem to be any real reason for them to not be laying.

Apparently there is an egg-layers union and they're all on strike. LOL


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

Mine must have joined it, too. Went from 2 dozen a day to nothing! All at once!


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

suelandress said:


> At the risk of sounding repetitive......it's going around. Everyone comes up with "cures" but by now everyone knows about lights, protein levels, stressors and egg thieves. And still folks aren't getting eggs. Im starting to think that it's not anything we're doing.


Yeah, I'm not usually paranoid, but even my ducks (who will lay in the deepest, darkest Winter) are not laying.

What's that about?


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I gathered 8 from 8 today; I'm already feeding them back to them because I can't eat that many. Before you hate me know that next month 6 more pullets and 2 moulting will add to the load. And puts me in a bind. I either have to increase my flock to sell (according to Bill) or sell some of my girls--I have sentimental attachment to all but 5. (And I really like them, too!)


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

does anyone have eggs yet? I'm still at -0- I think I am gonna get a game cam and install in the coop pointed at the nesting boxes. put new hay and they are pooping on it. urrggh. HELP!!


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

nope~ I'm getting one egg a day from about 50 birds. They molted same time last year but only off egg laying for maybe a month and a half. This time we are going on 3 months and still no eggs. These are some older hens~ 2 1/2 years old the oldest and some younger hens a year old all the way down to 5 months old the youngest. I popped into this thread to see if I was the only one having extra trouble. Looks like I'm not.


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## The Bunny Ranch (Nov 3, 2010)

Well we got 2 eggs yesterday out of the 10 BO's. My EE's still haven't laid for me and they were 21 weeks on the 8th. It's a bad time of year to be depending on eggs .


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

my girls are about a year old maybe slightly older, I have 70+ hens and -0- eggs how long does molting take? It's about 2 mths since they started going down from 5 doz a day to zip.


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## AllAmerican (May 31, 2010)

Mine all moulted and all the feathers are back. The RIR's are laying but not as much as during summer. The BCM's are not laying at all right now.


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

all feathers are back for over a week or so


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I have been having same no egg problem and now I found a hen that seemed ok yesterday dead, cant tell from looking that anything was wrong ( ie predator ) ????


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

Vickie44 said:


> I have been having same no egg problem and now I found a hen that seemed ok yesterday dead, cant tell from looking that anything was wrong ( ie predator ) ????


What are you all feeding? Is it from the same place?


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

I doubt if we're feeding from the same place we're from different parts of the country, but it's a thought.


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## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

We tried a different brand of laying mash and some Gamebird feed. Still no eggs. I'm switching back to the mash we used before, but I doubt that it's the feed. The laying had stopped before we tried the new feed. Our 5 NHs are 19 mos. Our Speckled Sussex and BO are the same age and they stopped laying too. They aren't even molting. They were both broody during the summer and have _had_ their break.


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## dawny2u2 (Jul 30, 2010)

I was glad to read everyone else is having the same issues. Thought I was doing something wrong. Out of 7 year old hens who have finished moulting, only one has started laying again. It has been over a month since most of them are looking good again (they sure look pitiful when they're moulting, don't they?) and still no signs of eggs. But, I do have 16 pullets, and some of them are laying. But some of them (and they are over 6 months old) are not! This is only my second winter with chickens, I went from 8 to 25, and it has upped the mess ante in the coop, no doubt! Enjoy the comments.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

We've been feeding Hubbard's 21% protein laying pellets. Some of the RIR, Delaware, and Dominique hens are laying (but not all) and the Ameracaunas haven't laid a single egg in 2 months. None of these hens are over 18 months old.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

I can't help but wonder if it's the falling temperatures coupled with lower overall light levels. 

My seven hens moulted in Sept/Oct, and I'm still getting just 2-3 eggs a day; sometimes one, sometimes none. They get 14 hours of artificial light a day. Yet even a chicken has to be hardwired in such a way to know that a chick isn't likely to survive in the coming cold, with the lack of green food and bugs. 

I bet we'll see increases after the solstice.

ETA: I forgot to comment on feed. I've been getting an organic laying mash, and they've been doing well on it. I supplement with BOSS and EVO cat food that's 50% protein. The source of the protein is salmon and herring. They also get flax seed. I'll be cooking it for them soon; they like it cooked with a bit of rolled oats when the weather's cold.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

Horseyrider said:


> I can't help but wonder if it's the falling temperatures coupled with lower overall light levels.


Can't be the culprit for our hens. The delaware hens were the first to moult, back in June I think. They haven't been back to normal since then. The RIR's were next, in mid-July/Early August. I think 1 of them and the gold star in their pen (so 2 birds in that pen) are back to normal now. The dominiques were the last to moult (mid-late August I think) and out of 6 hens, we get 1 or 2 eggs a day now. The ameraucanas haven't moulted - they just quit laying.


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## familyman888 (May 4, 2009)

I just wanted to chime in....it's been 3 months since we got eggs. I did a total overhaul on the coop, moved it to fresh grass, supercleaned the nest boxes, new fresh hay.

Finally starting to get a couple eggs from my 2 to 3 year old Golden Comets.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I just bought a bag of Layena pellets , was using Dumor .They dont seem to like the Layena and arent eating much of it .They wander around the farm all day and get house leftovers . They eat alot of corn from under the silo. I have some barn cats hanging around and a kitten that has very weepy eyes but I cant see how that would mean anything. Moult over for awhile now. Might need to get food they like and lock em in for a few days ? I have Dominiques, a little over a year old


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

rabbitpatch said:


> Can't be the culprit for our hens. The delaware hens were the first to moult, back in June I think. They haven't been back to normal since then. The RIR's were next, in mid-July/Early August. I think 1 of them and the gold star in their pen (so 2 birds in that pen) are back to normal now. The dominiques were the last to moult (mid-late August I think) and out of 6 hens, we get 1 or 2 eggs a day now. The ameraucanas haven't moulted - they just quit laying.


Same here. Only one hen molted, the rest just stopped laying, like someone threw a switch.

A neighbor stopped by this morning, and she had the same experience with her hens as well.

What in the world is going on?


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

We have 14 hens and sometimes we get three eggs, sometimes one and most of the time none. Only two hens are older hens. 4 are pullets who should have been laying by now. We got one pullet egg about a month ago and none since. Two hens are older gals around the age of six-we don't expect anything out of them. The rest are 2 to 3 years old, some sex links,some RIR,some buff orphs some buff orh/easter egger crosses. One hen is a brown leg horn and she is just finishing moult. The rest finished theirs a while back. 

Started picking up eggs from a lady across town. Went to get some yesterday and she only had a dozen and half. Her hens just stopped laying and so did her ducks.


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

Same here. We have 100+ birds and two eggs a day.
I did have an extra yesterday and it was a blue one so some one is slowly getting back on track.
I did get 20 birds ready to lay a few weeks ago so they went into a funk I am sure. I have about 40 or so that are a bout 2 yrs old so they are taking the winter off I guess. I have about 30 that hatched this spring that are just not old enough yet.
The rest went into a hard molt that they are just coming out of. 
Bad timing on my part I guess next year the new pullets need to be hatched out a few months earlier.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I only have 6 hens and those are silkies. All 6 started setting at the same time. One quit and started laying again. The other 5 set eggs and hatched babies. I combined two nests and returned one hen to laying duty. The other 4 still have babies.
I get 2 eggs every day. This has been going on for several weeks so it is about time for the 2 layers to set again.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Pony said:


> Yeah, I'm not usually paranoid, but even my ducks (who will lay in the deepest, darkest Winter) are not laying.
> 
> What's that about?



My ducks too! They started laying in January this last winter & eggs every single day up until August. The number of eggs per day was getting less & less. Then in September no more eggs. Still No Duck eggs! It's a bummer I had to buy eggs at the store now twice!!

My ducks have never had a light but have been thinking of hooking one up for them.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

My Cochins stopped laying for a few weeks. I upped the protein with gamebird feed. They picked up quite a bit, but now this week, I only get one egg a day from 8 hens. I'm thinking maybe it's the time change? Besides, Cochins are not great layers.


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## monkeybackfarm (Apr 22, 2010)

We have 38 , 8 month old hens. Getting 5-7 eggs a day for the last two weeks. The previous month I was getting 14-23 eggs a day. During the summer I was getting 24 plus a day...


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

welcome to the great egg mystery...... well this morning went to feed and water and found again in the clean nesting boxes with fresh hay... POOP!!! they are sleeping in the nesting boxes instead of laying eggs in them!!! I guess I'll be out after dark re arranging them. And still no eggs 70 + hens. I did hear a hawk squealling this morning so maybe they are scared. this is getting to be costly they were laying enough to pay the feed bill for all my animals now nothing. ok vent over Good morning all!


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## Old Swampgirl (Sep 28, 2008)

I think there are quite a few factors that determine when & how long hens stop laying--such as: hours of daylight, breed, amt of protein in feed, environmental changes, scary happenings, etc. My young Cuckoos & old banties have really slowed down. My skilky lays one every 3rd day. But my white pearl leghorns, born April 18th, are still putting out one every 25 hrs.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I have 4 hens and get 14-16 eggs a week now. 2 are 3 yr olds and 1 1yr and a poullet, all buffs. The 2 older hens moulted in aug and got scratch only, 1 egg a day from the 1yr old. The poullet started laying in sept-1 smaller egg almost every day. I put the 2 older hens on feed Oct 1st. I have 2 nests, leave an egg in each all the time. I kept the light on the same length of time as summer daylight. Adding light morning and night to keep the hens with the same hours. I slowly take 10 minutes a week off until they have 12 hours of light now. I feed a mash of ground oats and water mixed daily, then add warm goats milk and fish scraps before feeding. They get some oat scratch, garden waste and table scraps and fresh warm water every morning. They get run of the yard everyday for 3 hours before I shut them in at night. I didn't see much difference than any other year....James


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

well last night there WAS an o'possum in the hen house!!!! so maybe in a few days we'll get eggs!! I'll let ya know!


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## dawny2u2 (Jul 30, 2010)

Oh my to JIL, with the hens sleeping in the nest boxes! Good luck, I have one girl who flies the coop, and if I am not home by dark, she sleeps in a nest box I put outside for her (because before that she went into the woods to lay). I didn't realize chickens would sleep in nest boxes..... if there were roosts around! POOP!


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## Charm (Oct 21, 2010)

I have 18 EE hens and so far this month I have gotten 278 eggs....It's a good thing I have orders for hatching eggs....and people ordering them to eat, or I would be over run with eggs. I feed mine Purina flock raiser and steamed crimped barley, they free range about 3 hours a day. no extra light. I live near Austin, Tx. so it's been hot here. ~Charm :bouncy:


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## MacaReenie (Mar 1, 2008)

Add mine to the list of chicks that stopped laying. I have 6 Golden Comets that are a year and a half old. They all laid an egg a day until mid summer and then just stopped. Got 1 egg in November, but that has been it!


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## kjmatson (Jul 22, 2008)

i just went through the molting process again with a few of my hens. I would say that I went a month and a half with an occasional egg, and now they are back to laying. I only give them about 14 hours of light; no need in stressing them out, I don't need them laying around the clock.


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## obleo+6 (Jul 21, 2008)

Interesting read this is. Mine stopped a couple of months ago. Some combs turned pink, partial molt, they just looked sickly. Got them some vitamins, give them a mash of a scrambled egg, molasses oats, their laying pellets soaked in kefir milk, chopped cabbage and for a treat, sometimes throw in a hot dog, I know, I know...but they love their junk food...lol.

Well, their combs are red again, they got their feathers back, they look healthy and they started laying. Out of 9, I get 1 to 5 eggs a day now. Well, it's something. They free range all day with a treat or two thrown in for good measure. No bugs here yet, but plenty of grass...this is just really weird for so many of us living in all parts of the country having the same problem.

We were going to butcher ours and start all over in the spring, but I guess they read our minds and thought best to at least make an attempt to lay something before the "axe-man" showed up...LOL.

How's everyone else coming along?


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## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

We have 5 NH, 1 BO and 1 SS hens that are 20 months old that have finished molting and two RIR pullets and 2 mixed RIR pullets all hatched in June that started laying last month. We're now getting about 4-7 eggs a day, so things are finally looking up! It's been very cold and snowy here, so we're glad to get any eggs at all.


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## Uncle JD (Dec 1, 2010)

Shalom Dexter,

I think we have been very fortunate. We have 6 hens. We got them in June as pullets. They started laying about a week after we got them. And now that it is cold out, we get anywhere from 3 to 6 eggs per day. Today we got 4. I bet they will begin laying again. It might not be until spring, or late winter when it begins to warm up, I think they will be laying again for you. Just my two shekels.

blessings, and I hope they start again soon.

jd


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

Cheribelle said:


> Mine must have joined it, too. Went from 2 dozen a day to nothing! All at once!


Was this when you started a new bag of feed or in the middle of a bag?


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I am lucky to get 2 eggs a day from 11 pullets/hens that range from 30 weeks old to 20months old! Some have been in molt, some are in full (almost naked) molt, some are just starting to lay and others must be waiting for spring!


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## Mainelyhappy (Jan 28, 2008)

I had a similar "egg draught." It lasted almost 4 long, painful months, but the spell seems to have broken! I have been getting 2-4 a day from my 12 girls. 6 are pullets hatched this spring. I think only one of my older girls (just had first moult) is laying at all. Two of my hens are almost 4 years old, so I don't know if they will lay at all or not. It's rather fascinating that so many are experiencing the same problem. 
Daryl


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Ours have finally started laying again. They get the same layer pellet they've been getting but one day i started including a few handfuls of BOSS. A few days later I had eggs and the amount is picking up. I don't know if its coincidence or not but just to be sure, I will continue adding BOSS to their feed until warmer weather when the bugs start coming out.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

We found two eggs this morning. One MAY be from yesterday, and I suspect the donor is our leghorn.

I'm guardedly optimistic, but I still say this is weird. I've been raising chickens a bit longer than we've been on the farm, and this has never happened before - even when they were moulting, we never had a complete shutdown.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

It IS weird and it IS wide spread. At least they aren't dropping like the blackbirds.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

In full agreement with Sue.

am1too, there was NO change in feed here. When things went south, of course, there was an addition of all the usual things: Extra protein (raw chopped goat/deer liver and such), cayenne pepper, extra attention to calcium supplementation. Those things, under "normal" (ie, "usual") circumstances, generally jumpstart the gals and they begin laying again.

Something is wrong.


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