Chicken question please

[ancee]

Hi guys, I've looked through pages of chicken questions, all similar, but still haven't found an answer to my question.
Simply my hens have stopped laying. We've had them about 3 months now, 4 Warrens.
Firstly we got 2-3 a day, some days four, but averaged at 3. We got them at point of lay.
I clean them out every day and change the paper under their roosts.
I clean out the wood shavings that they lay in every couple of weeks, but always check it for insect activity and fluff it up to make sure it's comfortable for them.
They are all eating (layers pellets and mixed corn) and any weeds or plants from the garden (perpetual spinach, turnip and radish leaves, bits of couch grass stalks sticky buds, fat hen, rosebay willow herb). They have clean water daily, every other week I add a drop of cider apple vinegar to the water for a week or so. I pop in the occasional treats - corn flakes or water melon or a fat ball, everything gets gobbled up. None of them look ill, they are all chatty and busy and nosey.
I cleaned out their entire coop and run and used the spray for red mite in there, just in case we had (not seen any though)
Any ideas anyone, I've had to go and buy eggs for the first time since we've got them.
Any thoughts at all will be considered and appreciated

[Nicos]

Maybe cut out the corn, cornflakes etc?
A fat hen doesn't lay very much...could that be the problem perhaps???

[ancee]

Ooh, do you think? I never thought they might be getting a little bit portly! - You can't really tell with all their feathers!

[Nicos]

I only tend to give treats in winter- apart from garden weeds/veg leaves. Carbs and fat do make them put on weigh.
Perhaps stick to the greens as treats with just the occasional alternative type of treat for a while- see if that works??
Also- have you tried giving them a bit of Spice powder as a pick me up?

They actually sound really well cared for !

I presume they have shade in this hot weather..that may affect the laying???

[ancee]

Our 'hot' weather here is very temperamental! While the rest of the country is moaning about how hot and sunny it is, we have clouds clouds and clouds. Only had a couple of very hot days so far. I do shade them if the sun is hot though. Although, they do like to sunbathe I've noticed!
What's spice powder by the way?

[Nicos]

Poultry Spice is .....

quote"
Poultry Spice is a mineral supplement to give to poultry to improve all round condition and performance. The aromatic blend of highly palatable spices will encourage them to eat their ration and so help to keep them strong and healthy. The high mineral content will promote good egg shell quality. Invaluable to help birds get over the moult. Will help to keep condition on during cold weather. Easy to use, just add to their daily ration."

several manufactures produce it...just have a quick goooogle

[Nicos]

The other thing which comes to mind is that could there be a fox or something sniffing around at night or loud noises going on nearby which could be stressing them?
That could help put them all off lay?...just a thought

[ancee]

Just googled it! The first few were for spice for chickens - ie to eat! hahaha! Not sure they'd appreciate that! Although if they see it, they might quickly start laying!!! No foxes around here no, and it's always pretty noisy, so nothing different there really!

[Scarlet]

My first thought tallies with Nicos. Treats really aren't necessary, if you want to give them a treat, feed them some weeds. When my kids were little they never used to lay during the summer hols, they were always treating them to corn!

[Scarlet]

Actually, they may also be laying somewhere else. Have you had a good look in their run? Any places for them to hide them?

[Small pumpkin]

They might need worming. It depends when they were last done. I worm my girls every 3 months with flubenvet. It works really well and there is no egg withdrawal.

[Scarlet]

I would always suggest worming at lack of eggs, but they are very young and they are also on new ground(?) so my rule of thumb is worm in the Autumn after their first laying season. Although saying that, it's very strange for young hens to stop laying so early....

Have you got any recent pics of them Ancee?

[Ja9]

If they in a fixed run they will actually need worming every 4 months..something I learnt the hard way.
Your hens sound wonderfully spoilt though!

[Scarlet]

I worm mine 4 times a year but for young chickens on new ground I'd be surprised that they would be so worm bound that it's stopped all of them laying. Though anything is possible. How big is the run Ancee?

#are you sure they were point of lay? How old were they when you had them? If you had them in the middle of March, they would have been a very early hatch.

[snakeshack]

Mine have stopped too, and I wondered what was going on until this morning when I did the water, my Orpington appears to have exploded again , feathers all over the run so I assume they are moulting early


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