Hens, have yours stopped laying?

[minskey]

Mine have stopped laying. We had a huge storm a week last Sat, following Monday only 5 eggs, yesterday 4 and only 1 to day. I usually get one each from most of my hens [10 laying] Do you think it was
1 - The thunderstorm
2 - Stop laying for a rest
3 - something I have done, should I worry?

I have noticed that they are not hungry in the morning, I have cut the pellets amount in half to see if they get hungry but that has not made a difference, they get some cabbage most days in the afternoon & are in about a quarter of an acre free rangeing.

If its '2' how long do they stop for [7 ex batts 1 bluebell & 2 amber links]

Could they be sad that about the amber link which died a couple of days ago?

[frias]

Well my lot might be an unfeeling lot but they don't appear to notice when one of the girls dies. Fireworks, dogs and other loud noises can upset them though and so I guess a thunder storm could have an effect on egg laying. I feed pellets add lib but how much they eat depends on how much time they are free-ranging. Mine usually fill up in the morning, return to the pellets a few times during the day and have a last top up just before bed. The ex-batts might be slowing down the egg laying depending how old they are. My older girls don't lay very often now. There's always someone with an ex-batt that still laying after severel years though.

[Suechooks]

I've been expecting a drop in my girls production after the break-in and theft but so far they're still ok, despite what must have been a heck of a noise from bolt-cutters and a garden fork banging to prise the door open! We're still averaging 6 a day from 10 girls

[pdblake]

Could they be moulting?

[minskey]

Not sure if they are all moulting, there are no feathers on the ground. My bluebell is having a partial moult, she has a bare patch on her throat & back & its full of new 'pins'. My speckledy is definateley moulting as there are loads of her feathers in her pen every day, she is looking after her chicks a the mo so not expecting her to lay. Do hens stop laying during the summer, mine were POL last year so they laid all through. I've only had the ex batts about 4 months & don't know how old they are.

[HayleyB]

I've had feathers galore and off lay but at last they are picking up on the laying and some of the girls are looking more bootiful with their new plumage, although Turkeybums bum feathers are still black pins

[Glutton4...]

Mine have slowed down considerably in the last couple of weeks too. I'm assuming it's the unsettled weather, as I can't find any other explanation at the moment. Hopefully they'll pick up again soon, my customers get quite upset if they can't have their quota!

[Emmylou]

Mine have really slowed up too, I put it down to the wet weather, they don't like it!

[Snadger]

Mine are having good and bad days. We had a stinker a couple of days ago, rain all day,cold, windy and I only got 6 eggs....................dragged a pallet into the run so they didn't have to stand on soggy ground and the sun came out the next day..............result.......10 eggs!

[julesapple]

So, then.....

......could the Monsoon season also explain why I don't have any eggs from 24 week old POL's?

If it rains tomorrow, I'm providing the girls with scuba gear.......!

Jules

[RichmondHens]

If they've all been laying steadily since the beginning of the year then it's about the time when they start to slow down. Even if they are not showing signs of moulting yet, they will in due course. Mine are also starting to slow down, although my two best layers are still popping out an egg each day, and one of them has been laying solidly since last October!

[raine]

do they eat less when they go off lay?

[Snadger]

do they eat less when they go off lay?

yep!...............

[Bephlam]

Mine are moulting - which is an annoyance, feathers everywhere. Their egg production is poor...maybe 1 every 3 days. Thankfully Bertha is still laying, she's this years stock...so no moult. (Mavis & Henrietta have just hatched their chicks, so not laying)

So, all in all...one Maran laying! Pfffttt!!

[Twinkle]

ah - I'm glad it's not just me.... out of 3 layers I have left, we had a spate of soft-eggs and ones laid off the perch, plus a lash in the bottom of the henhouse.
No feathers yet so I'd discounted moult, the only difference was that after the fox-attacks we'd stopped them ranging and fenced off a 6m x 4m outdoor patch for them as well as the indoor run.
I'm in the UK at the moment so stocked up on Poultry Spice, Poultry Shield and Red Mite powder in case it was mite attack but I swear I can't see any in the housing.