Moult/laying problems

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Mrs Brewster

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I think I might be covering over old ground here a bit.... :-)12

I as many of you have, have problems with moults this year due to the weather, ie stop/starts, taking longer. Due to moult, my birds have been off laying since sept (which I know is normal) but they don't seem to be making any indication that they are coming back into lay.

I know obviously laying is reduced during the winter months..but nothing they are all fine themselves, just not laying!! :(

Any ideas or suggestions??!! I'm at a lost?! :-)07
 
Mine are just as you describe and I have lots, all bred for egg production. Just a small fraction of them are laying. I find there's not a lot you can do but be patient.
 
Howdy,

I have had the same problems with my chickens. I tried several breeds to see if they would lay in the winter. The only one is that did lay in the winter was the Rhode Island Red. The Rhode Island Red (also known as RIR) lays large brown eggs throughout the year, the hens are very friendly, curious, and docile (the cocks have been known to be quite aggressive though, it has been said that the cocks have killed big dogs and foxes), they mature at an age of six months, they are good foragers, and are very hardy in the heat and cold. -Chicken Chaser :)
 
Good to know, I'm not the only one having the same problems.

The weather has driven me mad this year, hope its better next year or i'm going to start squeezing eggs out of them!! :D
 
RIR, a great breed but very feisty as CC says -we've had major behavioural problems with a hen. Hens won't lay during the moult and won't lay if they are short of daylight hours. Anything less than 10 hours daylight and you are lucky. You can beat it with extra lighting in early morning -not in the evening as when the lights go out they can't find their perches and panic and stop laying. Takes it out of them though and makes a real mess in the coop. We don't bother, even though we have all the equipment in place.
 
I got a couple of POL hybrids in September, a Columbian Blacktail and a Brown Leghorn cross, and they started in October and have been laying every day since. So maybe if you want winter eggs its an idea to make introductions of the right sort of birds in Autumn, to let the older ones have their winter rest, and to spread out the ages in a small flock.
 
I have heard lots of breeders having an unusual year in terms of moulting patterns and laying, so you are certainly not alone in this respect! Our hens really are governed by the weather and seasons.. and some years this has more of a random effect than others I guess.
 
Howdy,

You can try to put a light in their coop and keep it on for 12 hours. That might trick them into laying again.
-Chicken Chaser
 
Glad I'm not the only one with moulting/nonlaying hens. Never encountered them all going off lay at the same time before, usually have one or two laying through the winter.
I've even had to resort to buying eggs, can't remember the last time I had to do that!
 
Hens need a good 12 hours daylight to lay. The winter is a good time for them to take a break from laying, to moult (which takes a great deal out of them), recover and get ready for laying again in the spring.

I believe forcing hens to lay with artificial dayight will only go against nature and cause problems in the long run.
 
Autumn is the normal time to moult as with wild birds and moulting in winter is somewhat abnormal. Many birds bred for egg laying are hatched outside normal times which is spring and summer so it's not surprising they get mixed up.
As Marigold says, if you want winter eggs, buy some POL hybrids in early autumn and they will generally lay throughout the winter.
 
After a break since October, going broody, moulting, and then just growing her feathers back, I had a present from Marigold yesterday - a New Year's Day egg. First sign of Spring, I hope it's a good omen for 2013.
 
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