egg production drop off

Posted by Matthew Newton on September 10, 2013 at 7:07am

Hi peeps!

We have had a drastic drop off in production of eggs. We have 10 hens, and used (3-4 weeks ago) to get 6-8 eggs daily, and were very happy with our hens. While we are still happy with them, we are only getting 0-3 a day. Anyone else experienced this as well?

4 hens are 3 years old (expect their reduction), and 6 are 6 months old. no signs of lethargy, or illness. Not molting, or broody. I'm stumped, but that's not hard to do!

Thanks for the help in advance.

Matt

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Replies

  • Kelly November 4, 2013 at 11:01am

    Also remember with the days getting shorter you will need to put a light on your chickens to get them to lay.  They need 14-17 hours of light.  You can just put a light in the coop on a timer.

     

    Right now there is only 10 hours and 43 minutes from sun up to sun down. Though it does get 'light' sooner and stay light a little after that.  In September there was only 12 hours of sun. And in October only 11 hours of sun.

     

    http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=197&mont...

     

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Kelly November 4, 2013 at 12:40pm

      Good point, Kelly. We have ours go on at 4am and off at 6pm.

  • Matthew Newton October 22, 2013 at 2:30pm

    I gave them an ultimatum and it payed off yesterday! They had to deliver one egg by the end of the month. Still, is 10 weeks a long time for a molt? Seriously!

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Matthew Newton October 22, 2013 at 3:11pm

      No, some birds seem to stay in molt for a long time. It's an individual thing, kind of like adolescence or menopause. :)  If you get a broody hen, it's the same thing. Some pass through it quickly while others seem to go on and on and on...

    • Sheri Schmeckpeper > Sheri Schmeckpeper November 4, 2013 at 12:39pm

      I should add to this, younger birds may moult in only 8 weeks, but older birds may take twice that long or more.

  • Matthew Newton September 13, 2013 at 7:09am

    Thanks everyone for responding. I'll give it another couple of weeks and see if production increases.

  • Sheri Schmeckpeper September 10, 2013 at 5:44pm

    Heat and moulting are the two most common reasons for reduced production this time of year. If they're free-range, a low food supply can do that, too, so they may need and increase in supplemental food. In the winter the problem shifts to a lack of daylight. :)

  • Kathryn Henzerling September 10, 2013 at 8:25am

    I have 5 hens that will be 2 years old in January. Normal egg production is 4-5 daily with slight drop off by the end of this summer to 3-4 eggs daily. I noticed a few hens were starting to molt and I did have a lot of veggie & fruit scraps given, so have cut back on the treats.

    Today I had 2 eggs and hadnt checked the nest boxes for a few days.

    So, yes, I am experiencing it as well. I was thinking mine were getting up to their 2 year birthday so maybe that was why....

    I am also going to eliminate the veggie/fruits scraps for a bit and see if it picks up.

  • Liz & Dan September 10, 2013 at 7:36am
    I have to say my ladies are looking awful and scraggly as well...I expect the feathers to start dropping any day now!
  • Ericka September 10, 2013 at 7:30am

    Ditto on Jenny's thoughts. We have the same situation, only I also think our 4 youngest gals are starting to molt. Sometimes you can't tell so much by feather loss, but the feathers on look darn scraggly. Our 2 older hens are still laying so that is another reason we think the other 4 are starting to molt.

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