My chickens aren't laying?

[Alan]

I have 9, 3 to 4 yr old Rhode Island Reds that are going through a molt, so I'm not expecting eggs from them. But I also have 2 Plymouth Barred that I raised last spring along with one White Leghorn raised also last spring. I have for some weeks been getting only one white egg a day. When the RIR's where younger I got eggs most every day even through molt. I can't understand why the PB are not laying. I'm 99% sure my enclosure is tight and nothing is getting in to steal the eggs, an if they where why only the brown ones. They get good feed, plus we throw scratch and left overs to them, and they always have oyster shells available.

any help?
Alan

 

[Angus Guy]

Try putting a light in the coop. Was always told to give hens 12 hours daylight.

 

[bigbull338]

I have 9, 3 to 4 yr old Rhode Island Reds that are going through a molt, so I'm not expecting eggs from them. But I also have 2 Plymouth Barred that I raised last spring along with one White Leghorn raised also last spring. I have for some weeks been getting only one white egg a day. When the RIR's where younger I got eggs most every day even through molt. I can't understand why the PB are not laying. I'm 99% sure my enclosure is tight and nothing is getting in to steal the eggs, an if they where why only the brown ones. They get good feed, plus we throw scratch and left overs to them, and they always have oyster shells available.

any help?
Alan

if ther light dont help them to start laying.im betting that they are going though molt.i bought a batch of chicks in the spring.an they layed till dec an quit their 1st yr.well now they layed though spring an summer an quit laying again.so it has todo with the time of year that you raise them.

 

[dun]

The light and the molt are the 2 most important parts of keeping hens laying. If they haven't had an supplemental light for the past month or so they've slowed down because of that and will probablly start molting pretty soon. You can force molt them by depriving them of all light for a bout a week. If the ear lobes look small and kind of shriveled they aren;t laying or are laying very little. A fleshy looking earlobe is the sign of an active layer. You can look at the vent but it's one of those things that has to be looked at and shown and I can;t describe what you look for to tell a layer from a non-layer.

dun

 

[kjones]

Ive got chickens also. I put a light in about two weeks ago, because I heard it will help keep them laying. What I'm wondering now is should it be left on all the time, or just for a certain amount of time?

 

[dun]

Ive got chickens also. I put a light in about two weeks ago, because I heard it will help keep them laying. What I'm wondering now is should it be left on all the time, or just for a certain amount of time?

A timer and an electric eye work well. Set the timer for 12 hours of light and wire the elctric eye to the outsie of that so that it comes on if the light levels drop, then a light hooked into that. It doesn;t take a whole lot of light. In a coupe that was 20X15 we used a 60 watt bulb and never had a problem. Mounted it over the food and water. Now that we're not doing chickens we gave the stuff to some friends of ours that have a 10X10 coup and they only use a 40 watt bulb and it's mounted over the feed and water.

dun

 

[Gale Seddon]

I've also noticed a decrease in eggs, not because of molting, I'm guessing it's the shortened daylight. Haven't gotten my lightbulb going on the timer yet. I was told to set it so it comes on early in the morning cause if it's ON for a few hours in the evening and then goes OFF, the chickens are left in the dark and can't see to find their roosts.

 

[J. T.]

Best brown egg layers I know of are a production strain known as Cherry Eggers. They lay right on through the winter. I did have some Barred Rocks a few years back and kept a light with a timer plugged in and they laid respectably through the winter.

 

[S&J]

We were told by our chicken doctor, (PHD, Extension service) that 16 hours is the ideal number of hours. Should be a nice bright light. It's not so they can eat and drink more, although they will. It effects the hormone that controls the circadian rhythm. It makes their bodies think it's mid summer. We set ours for around 2 am and off at 7. It will take several weeks to have any effect Our hens show no decrease in their laying all winter. Also, hens over two years will probably never come back to their max. no matter what you do.
Steven

 

[JHH]

My hens quit laying also, I may try the light thing but I really just enjoy them and the eggs are a bonus.

Anyone else have Silkies? We have both blacks and whites along with some Buff Orphiningtons, and a couple of Rhode Island reds. JHH

 

[Wewild]

The light always seemed to help with our losses to rodents as well.

 

[jack.diamond]

We have two lights in the chicken house. One is a 60 watt bulb that is on 24/7 and the other is a timed heat lamp. With the cold weather of recent we have been letting the heat lamp stay on from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. Chickens are doing very well. We have 5 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Barred Rocks and 3 Light Brahmas (Chickens not cows).

Jack