Entire flock stopped laying, help!

[Iivingmybestlife]

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!

 

[TOMTE]

My girls were much more cautious for a while after a recent hawk attack. They were homebodies for a week or so, mostly stayed in their run. Once they started venturing out they stayed close to the run for a while. Now they're back to exploring the whole yard again. Yours might just still be feeling cautious.

As for the laying, I don't know the answer to that. Could be a molt, maybe stress from the hawk attack? Can fear/stress cause hens to stop laying?

 

[lagrange chicks]

My hens have slowed way down with egg production. Most are molting, that combined with short days is my thoughts. Chickens do hate change, when I do change things around there area it is gradual so they get use to 1 change before making more.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

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!

Do they show any other symptoms?
Sometimes, they’ll stop laying in the winter, even if they aren't molting due to lower light levels. Stress might make them lay less eggs.

 

[aart]

who have been laying since December 2023.

Chances are at that age, and if you're in the northern hemisphere, they've stopped laying and will soon molt.

 

[Iivingmybestlife]

Do they show any other symptoms?
Sometimes, they’ll stop laying in the winter, even if they aren't molting due to lower light levels. Stress might make them lay less eggs.

Nope, no other symptoms, just all crowding together inside and no one laying. Just had to buy eggs for the first time in 10 months. They are not the same.

 

[Iivingmybestlife]

Chances are at that age, and if you're in the northern hemisphere, they've stopped laying and will soon molt.

I thought that might be the case for my older ladies, but why are the Easter eggers who hatched in March 2024 not laying as well?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I thought that might be the case for my older ladies, but why are the Easter eggers who hatched in March 2024 not laying as well?

I agree the older ones are probably molting. The molt starts with the head and neck, then works its way down the body. With many you cannot tell they are molting by looking at them, they lose feathers that slowly. Sometimes the only way to tell is by seeing feathers flying around. Right at the start that can be tough with those small head feathers.

Chickens often do not handle stress that well. Your changes may have kicked the older ones into a molt. They were going to molt soon anyway. Those changes could have also stressed your pullets into stopping laying for a while. Some may go through a full or partial molt or some may start again laying again shortly.

Your changes remind me of what happens when it snows overnight and the chickens wake up to a strange white world. Mine typically do not want to leave the coop and walk in that snow for a couple of days. Then some will but only some. If it snows during the day when they are already out it doesn't bother them, the change is that gradual. But if they wake up to a white world it can take them time to adjust.

All I can suggest is to be patient. I did not read anything in your posts that suggests anything is really wrong with their healthy or wellbeing. Just stress that they will get over.

 

[McChooky]

I add a light on a timer so my chickens aren't sitting in the dark .If you get all the eggs you need from X number of hens add X more hens to make up for those that stop laying in the fall when they molt. As already stated the chickens are now stressed over the change to sand so you may have triggered a molt that was coming (noone can stop a molt after its triggered )I did the same to mine last year

 

[Possum-Pie]

I agree with the above posts.
One aside: After my first year with no eggs laid all fall/winter and having to pay $6/dozen at the store thanks to inflation, I began setting aside extra eggs in my garage fridge starting in early summer. I wrote on every carton the week they were laid, and with only 7 hens, I have amassed 11 dozen. I'm currently eating eggs from 4th of July week. As long as you don't wash the bloom off, they will last at least 4-5 months in a fridg. I'm only getting 1 egg/day now, and that will soon stop I'm sure, but I have enough stocked up in my fridge not to have to buy any this year. I also freeze fresh eggs, I separate out whites from yolks, freeze them in silicone icecube trays, then pop them into quart freezer bags. They work great in recipes and scrambled, but alas, you can't use them for "over easy" or "sunny-side-up" fried eggs.