Anyone Else with Low Egg Production?

[BlindLemonChicken]

I usually keep a mixed age flock for this exact reason. Unfortunately I just found my youngest chicken who just started laying dead under the roost so I am happy to be getting two eggs a day out of the remaining 7 girls who range from 1-3 years.

 

[sandburRanch]

Isn't decreased laying in the Fall why we raise new chicks in the Spring ?

 

[Lpsouth1978]

We have the opposite laying schedule here. Our girls do not lay many during the summer (when temps are often 110+, and lay a ton in the winter (when temps drop to <80. Luckily we have not yet experienced any molts. We have 9 hens that are now 13 months and 29 pullets that are 6 months and just started laying about 1 month ago.

 

[MTKitty]

Fourteen hens, three pullets nearing 6 months, no eggs for almost a month, now.

My suspicions: age - hens are four, pullets not quite old enough; season - my days are about 10 hours long now; weather - we had an insane week not long ago where it went from 60 to single digits in two days; molting - they’re slow to refeather this year, which is weird; and a couple of months ago, I switched to a lower protein feed (from 20% down to 16%).

All together, I decided to get replacement chicks in the spring and will begin thinning my flock when they arrive. All while trying to figure out why two incubated clutches this year only had a 5% hatch rate.

 

[Stephine]

I have 16 girls total: 2 x 7yrs old, 2 x 4yrs old, 3 x 2 yrs old, 4 x 1 yr old and 3 little pullets. I get between 2 and 6 eggs a day. My oldest ones only lay in the spring these days (summer gets too hot), one 4 yr old Superblue lays well, the other stopped laying for the winter, only one of the 3 year olds is still laying after this years molt, and the 4 young ones stopped for molt but started right back up afterwards (Bielefelders). Now the little pullets (Basque) have just started laying tiny eggs and I expect them to lay through the winter. That’s why I get a few new pullets every spring - they usually start laying right when everyone else winds down and we get eggs from them until next fall, at least, but often through the next winter, too. I seem to lose about 3 hens a year due to old age or hawk attack or late Mareks and so it’s been working pretty well.

 

[GoujonsAndChips]

I have 3 hens, 2 English Orps, and a Minorca. The Minorca was my best layer, averaging 5-6 per week. She started her 1st molt (she's about 15 mos.) about a month ago and stopped laying altogether.
The 2 Orps really aren't great producers, but they were laying up until 2 weeks ago, at which time they started to molt and ceased altogether (they're first molt as well).
The little Minorca seems to be fully feathered now, so I am waiting for her to start up again. But basically, we haven't had a new egg for over 2 weeks now. I want an omelet!

How odd. I work in a countryside store selling feed (Worcestershire UK), everyone that buys layers pellets is saying the same thing, I have 3 RIR, 3 Suffolk's, 5 Nankins and none have laid an egg for a month!

 

[Rickey Lynn]

My hens are molting, and production is down but not totally out. We were getting about 10 eggs a day and now we are getting about 6. Keeping our hens on a diet of fresh foods as well as layer pellets.

 

[Stephine]

I should have added that I am in California. It definitely makes a big difference how much daylight you are getting…

 

[iamjwe]

I'm in the same boat, and honestly getting frustrated with my ladies. One 3 year old hasn't laid in 6 months, the other just seems to have finished her molt, and hoping she starts to lay soon. Then I've got the 4 "teenagers" who should start laying any day now, but don't seem to want to at all... I'm not enthused about the amount of work it will take over the winter, especially if there's no eggs awaiting me as "reward".

 

[Stephine]

I'm in the same boat, and honestly getting frustrated with my ladies. One 3 year old hasn't laid in 6 months, the other just seems to have finished her molt, and hoping she starts to lay soon. Then I've got the 4 "teenagers" who should start laying any day now, but don't seem to want to at all... I'm not enthused about the amount of work it will take over the winter, especially if there's no eggs awaiting me as "reward".

Really, unfortunately, totally normal. Good to get new chicks early in spring, because if they haven’t started laying when the days become too short, they won’t start laying till the spring.