Egg laying ceased for bantams - slowed for standards significantly.

[TXchickmum]

All of our birds are between 14 - 18 months old. One standard hen is molting, thus she is not laying. The egg production of the other hens slowed significantly in August (which I attributed to the excessive heat). The bantams are a different story. My Japanese bantam went broody in August. -stayed on the nest for about 6 weeks. She is out and about, looking very healthy - but no eggs. My OEGB ceased laying at the same time the Japanese bantam went broody. She is still not laying as well. They appear very healthy and show no signs of molting. -wondering if the cooler weather will bring about a return to egg-laying???? (The winter here is very mild and seems to be preferrable to the birds.)

 

[Kelsie2290]

At the age your girls are, they may all be doing partial molts, even the standards, a lot of times you hardly notice they are doing that until you see pinfeathers cropping up. Usually they do some sort of molt after they have been broody, and combine that with the heat and Bantams mostly seem to be sporadic and unpredictable egg layers anyhow, I sometimes think we are lucky to get any eggs from them at all. Mine that aren't in the middle of a molt or that are done molting, do seem to be picking up again now that the weather is cooler. I had a couple of broodys that kicked their chicks out three or four weeks ago and they have started to lay again... so with any luck yours will get back to business pretty soon.

 

[TXchickmum]

Well, the one little bantam that had been broody finally did lay today! (first time in about 8-9 weeks) Our bantams (once they started laying last fall) generally gave us about 5 eggs per week a piece. That is probably not going to continue, I suspect. I do think that the cooler (high of 88 today) temps will help. They love our winters (generally lows in the 30s/40s and highs in the 50s/60s). I really hadn't thought much of partial molts since the one that did molt was very noticeable. I just assumed that they would be sparse in areas if molting. I will check them though, because you are right - they are all at the age when they should molt. Thanks!