Entire flock stopped laying, help!

[Yardmom]

Yes stress can keep hens from laying. Hopefully the birds that are less than a year (you have already done things to keep eggs through winter) will resume after they are not worried about the hawk or the terrifying sand.

 

[Vicker]

So frustrating. I've always had eggs year-round before now. (Well, there was that one time that they fell off until I stopped buying Dumor and Purena feed.) Most went through a heavier molt than I've ever seen before. I can understand the older ones not laying, but the younger ones that really didn't molt much stopped laying as well. And the newbies should have started laying by now. I don't see any signs of external or internal parasites. No big changes in their routine. They have plenty of room. My pep talks each morning don't seem to be inspiring them. I'm supplementing their nutrition a little more and just trying to be patient. I guess they deserve a break.

 

[Ridgerunner]

And the newbies should have started laying by now.

I can relate. I add pullets to my flock every year, usually 3 or 4. Usually they lay while the others molt. But that one year the first of the 3 pullets did not lay an egg until she was 9 months old. That was the first week of December, at the shortest daylength of the year. A second one started a few days later. Normally they would start laying at 5 to 6 months old but not that year.

The only thing dependable about chickens is that they are undependable. You never know for sure what they will do.

 

[Delphene]

Hi all, couldn’t find a thread that answered my question so here goes!
I have a flock of 14: 1 banty roo, 1 banty hen raising a chick, 1 pullet, 5 Easter eggers who started laying in June, and 6 hens (1 white leghorn, 2 black sexlinks, 1 gold laced Wyandotte, 1 silkie, 1 australorpe) who have been laying since December 2023. We had a hawk attack a few weeks ago and they got a little cagey, but kept laying. On Friday 10/18/24 I changed their coop over from pine bedding to sand, then changed their covered run to sand the next day. The lay eggs we had were 10/18. Not only that, but even with access to a large fenced area to free range, they have taken to staying inside the coop in a group just standing on the sand. Occasionally one or two will go to the covered run to eat or drink, then back into the coop. I assume my older girls may have stopped laying to molt (although I see no evidence of this), but can’t figure out why the others have stopped and why they’re huddling together like this and not as active. Is this stress? D they just hate change? I could really use some advice!

Hi! This happened during the winter. They will come back in the warmer months. Otherwise, adding some new hens helps, if they lay eggs it sometimes makes them want to too. If you cant do that I put fake or real eggs in their nesting boxes.

 

[GardenDmpls]

My chickens are down from 2 1/2 dozen during the longest days to 10-11 eggs now that it is almost November. I never get eggs on the shortest day of the year, but then the production starts picking up again. Happens every year. Don't want to put a light on in the coop to extend their day length. They deserve the time to rest and regain their egg-laying strength before they start up again.

 

[Vicker]

The only thing dependable about chickens is that they are undependable. You never know for sure what they will do.

Exactly!

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Several reasons
Winter,
Dirty cops/ nesting boxes
Check for mice/ rats nest
Snakes
Predators outside
the run/ coop

 

[Vicker]

Update: Yay! The youngsters born at the end of May started laying! And to top it off, they are using the rollaway nestbox that everybody else abandoned!