If your chickens are not eating the dietary requirements they need to lay eggs, the production will stop . If you know your girls are getting the right food and plenty of fresh water but your eggs have stopped flowing, the problem may be as simple as Brooding. Some more ideas to take a look at are old age, molting, and disruptions to the flock.
When do chickens molt and quit laying?
At 15-18 months of age, and every year thereafter, chickens will replace their feathers . Feathers will fall out to make room for new feather growth. During this time, hens will stop laying eggs.
Do chickens stop laying eggs?
Most chickens will stop laying eggs while molting. Molting typically occurs each year when sunlight hours are decreasing in the lead-up to winter. Chickens will spend anywhere between 8-16 weeks regrowing their feathers, and may not lay until after winter.
Unfortunately, they usually don’t live longer than three years. Egg-laying typically drops off by the time they’re two years old. And then there are some breeds (usually the larger chicken breeds) that can take up to 39 weeks before they produce an egg.
It’s pretty natural for chickens to molt during different times of the year. First-time chicken keepers may not know this, but a laying hen requires plenty of time out in the sunshine, or it may fail to produce eggs. Some extra ideas to think about: stress, disease and discomfort, they could be broody, improper diet, parasites, or old age.
Some hens will still lay a few eggs while others will completely stop until after the molting has finished. Once the hen has finished molting it will start to lay eggs again although not normally as many as it would in the spring before the molting started.
How to tell if my chickens are molting?
I have 1 chicken with a bare back and 1 chicken with bare spots on its chest and stomache area and have a reduced egg production. Chickenmommy, farmer kittytexaschickmama, ibpboo, wynedot55s6bee, ibpboo, chickenmommy, or mangled are a couple more items to take a look at.
How to make high protein treats for molting chickens?
Pack the protein Just like humans, birds need a different diet depending on their current activity or life stage. Keep stress low While on vacation, people generally want plenty of comfort and room to relax. It isn’t so different inside the coop during molt. Transition back to layer feed.