NEED ADVICE: My friend's Entire Chicken Flock have stopped Laying - ANY IDEAS - He may have to kill them

ARE YOU STUPID...THEY NEED 14 HOURS OF STRAIGHT LIGHT...NOT OFF AND ON...

CRAWL BACK UNDER YOUR ROCK MORON...

Maybe they need more calcium supplementation for their egg shells.

OP I hope you read this before your friend kills those chickens! I have raised chickens for 20 years. It's WINTER! Most chickens either stop completely or are laying next to nothing during this time, it's normal and gives them a break from laying that helps them build up body reserves for when spring hits. So here are some things for your friend to consider before he kills them. And some ways to get them back into lay.

Temperature- If the coop is too cold the chickens stop laying. I used to keep a heat lamp in my coop in the winters, and now there are safe ways to keep your coop warm. It doesn't need to be hot, just above freezing

Light- Chickens lay eggs based on hours of light. This keeps them from trying to raise chicks in the winter. Having a light on in the coop is absolutely necessary in winter. I always keep a light on in the winter during the day. It helps them keep laying.

Food- During winter it's colder and chickens need more feed to keep warm. If you arn't feeding them enough they will stop laying. I would buy cracked corn and sprinkle it in their litter. It helps get them moving and keeps them warm.

Wet coop- If the litter they walk in is wet or soggy it's cold. It will make them cold and then they wont lay. I use wood shavings from the feed store and keep a good dry layer on top to keep their feetsies warm.

Water- One day of no water can stop chickens from laying for a week. It takes a lot of water to create eggs. If the water is freezing the chickens aren't drinking. I use a water tank heater to keep it ice free. You can get them at feed stores or online.

Cod liver oil- Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin D. We stop getting good amounts of vitamin D in the winter due to lack of sun. Could chickens laying be influenced on the amount of vitamin D in their bodies. It seems likely. I buy the cheap omega fish oil online in gel caps. For a 5 gallon waterer I would break about 4 pills in the trough. I always use an automatic waterer.

Age- Chickens start laying at five months. After 2 years of age their laying rate drops. So if it's an old flock they wont lay as much. But considering they ALL stopped laying I would say it's because of it being winter.

Moulting- If the chickens are moulting then they will stop laying. This is normal and healthy as there bodies need the extra reserves to stay warm and make new feathers.

Breed- There are some breeds of chickens who cannot handle cold weather and will stop laying. I always choose breeds who are good winter layers. If you friend got the wrong breed then they may not lay well in winter but will start again in spring.

My opinion is that they stopped laying due to the cold and lack of daylight. If your friend puts and light in, keeps the coop above freezing, feeds them extra and starts giving them fish oil they will probably start laying again. It will take a few weeks though.

Remember that animals aren't machines. They have cycles of production and rest and this is necessary for their health. I have kept my chickens in lay all winter by doing the above. They don't lay as well as in summer, but I still get eggs.

Yep they need more light, tell him to extend the light to 12 hrs a day and give them apples and kale to snack on.

Butter chicken. mmmmm

Tell him to put a red light bulb in the chicken-house. When he does that they'll start laying agin.

Maybe there is an egg thief. Rats, or something.

We have 32 chickens. They all stopped laying this winter. Perfectly normal when it's cold.
A light in the coop will do wonders.

Truth!!!

My pullets were born on July 26th, got here at three days old, July 29th. They started laying on Dec. 13th. That was day one with one egg. Now, I am averaging 18-21 eggs per day. No light but excellent housing, food and water. 21% protein layer pellets. They also get a flake of Alfalfa hay once every two or three days, which they love. Warm water on cold mornings, and nice nest boxes which they like to lay in.

Tell your friend that there is a feed mix that ups the protein for they can grow back those feathers and start up layer production at the same time. 14 hours of light per day if they start to drop on the egg production. Then, lower the hours until down to 12 until springtime.

Also, some breeds of chickens just lay better than other breeds. He could have some of the bigger chickens, dual types, that just don't lay as much or as often. Dual means eggs and meat. If he wants meat chickens ... get meat chickens, if he wants great egg layers study up and research the breeds. All knowledge helps him and the chickens!

Rather than killing the poor things for what is a normal chicken thing do some research. If he still wants to do them in put an ad on Craigslist and sell them to someone who knows and understands chickens!!


If something scared or shocked them, chased them around or grabbed one and ate it near them ... they will quit laying for a while.

Last Edited by grannyB on 01/26/2021 06:21 PM

They also stop laying during the hot parts of the summer.

Yup

The older ones he could harvest. I could go for some fresh fried chicken. My Grandmother, would harvest her own right in front of us as we played in the yard and about 2-3 hours later the best fried chicken dinner ever ... :-)

Last Edited by Lupe_Ate_My_Taco's on 01/26/2021 06:34 PM

They always slow down in winter, lights on a timer to increase light to 13hrs per day may help. Not led lights. Temperature hurts as well as they need energy to keep warm vs. egg production.

Fox

They could all be pregnant

Last Edited by Crystalpistal on 01/26/2021 06:37 PM

Chickens need sunlight. Mine slowed down in egg production when the days got shorter so I put a light on a timer to simulate longer days.

I had 3 hens.. first month a coon got to 2 of them within 48 hrs and ripped their heads clean off their bodies. The 3rd one was so scared it didn’t lay eggs for months but eventually came around.

In the winter feed them whole corn along with egg layer pellets and make sure they get about 14 hours of light.

chickens need light to lay. They stop producing during winter, not because of the cold, but because of the number of hours of daylight. Tell him to supplement with lights in the house and they will start to lay again. Also if they are over 3 years old they will begin to lay every other day or so. Make sure they have adequate water supply in winter. Many times chicken water freezes, limiting the amount they can get. They must have adequate water or they don't eat; no food no eggs.

Good luck

6hr trick works.. also, have found golf balls do too* hens are competitive lil' shits! Drop a few in nesting boxes, periodically move em about... has always worked for me;)

Am I the only tender hearted fool who would let any older non-laying hens live out their lives in peace and happiness and not kill them?

As others have already stated, I agree that it could be a lack of sunlight during the colder, darker winter months. My hens stop laying during the winter as well, but I can get a few more eggs out of them when I put a light on in the coup. I also add greens, meal worms, oyster shell for calcium, and flax see to their diet in the winter to help with their nutritional needs. If you are feeding them straight crumble or pellets from a bag and you don't have any greens available, try adding some vitamin drops to their drinking water and some bulbs in the coup. Good luck!

Gorgeous red!

Heat, light and laying feed

The roosters are using rubbers

News flash you don't need a rooster for eggs city slicker

Switched to Layena lay pellets...was using off brand- hens looked bad and we're eating their eggs if they did lay..

Light, not warmth is key to laying...a string of white Christmas lights in the coup set on a timer to extend the "daylight" hours to 14 hours...works wonders, not as expensive to run as heat lamp...heat lamps can cause fires... neighbor lost his garage one spring from heat lamp on some chicks...

An old woman who had a ranch told me to save the egg shells and crush and BAKE for 30 minutes at 250...then feed back to hens...hens don't see/smell/taste as eggs.

I did this and my hens are now laying like crazy in freezing weather with NO lights...

24 girls(all utility breeds)
Getting 12 eggs a day
Dead of winter...
Was 18 degrees yesterday morning

So...change your feed
Prep your egg shells
(don't trust the oyster stuff, back in the day it was actually fractured oyster shell, now it doesn't look or smell right and hens won't touch it)
Add light is u want...

Give it 2 weeks
Also
Rodents eat/ take eggs
As do raccons and skunks
And ground squirrels when not hybernating.

Racoons kill birds though so you'd know if u had one

They're brutal
they kill just to kill

Collecting eggs 2 to 3 times a day helps with egg eaters

Btw, my banty hens stopped laying in October, so breed does make a difference

Good luck or good eating.

Also...a hen that is laying has a really red comb that is 'waxy'.
Her feathers won't be perfect cus she's getting in and out of the best box..and if she has yellow leggs, they'll turn pale from laying...you're on your own if they have black legs though, lol

Use this criteria for culling the flock...

Also check for parasite
Scaley lag caused by mites
Love in the feathers will cause loss of production

Good books at tractor supply, but don't by their brand of feed, dumor
Su ks the big one

The only sickness I've seen here is the thought that he has to kill them because they don't lay eggs. He does not have to kill them. Call a local rescue / animal sanctuary, they will be glad to take them away from him, perhaps even 'compensate him' for his losses.

Chicken's live matter too. So, why not go the extra mile and rescue them. Seriously. There are plenty of people who would have them and, am sure, would pay him for them.