[Planner]

Hi

I have four chickens - a Sussex light, blackrock, silver link and a Blue bell Maran

The number of eggs I am getting is slowing up quite rapidly. During the summer each of the girls were laying, i would reckon on 4 eggs over 5 days. so most days 4 eggs with the occasional 3 egg days, now we are getting on average 2 or 3 per day.

The are about 18 months old, started laying towards the end of last August.

Questions
1. How long should they continue to lay for?
2. Is there any way I can tell if one has stopped laying?

They are free ranged, I feed them on layers pellets and half a cup of scratch last thing in the evening to encourage them back into the run. They also have a few treats during the week such as stale bread or veggie throw aways.
Maybe I am doing something wrong.

John

[grumpydad]

chucks will usually moult in the autumn, that is loose their feathers to some degree, and grow more to replace them, they cant lay eggs, and grow feathers, so the eggs production slows or stops for a while.

whilst they are moulting, they are very stressed, and will need extra supplements, ie poultry spice or life guard.

one of those things that nature has , nothing you can do about it, just make sure that they still have plenty of food and drink

martyn

[matilda duck]

Hiya, have they ever been wormed??  This can affect the amount of eggs.  This is easily done and most on here recomend Flubivent.
Have they lice? again that can slow egg production down.

Just a thought of cause

[archiesgems]

a hen will lay for most of its life, i have an Araucana who is 6 years old and she stil throws an egg for me, granted only once or twice a week but she stil lays. full production is normally about three years depending on the breed.

you can tell if they have stopped laying simply by watching them and if they have stopped altogether their pelvic bone with begin to close

[Planner]

Hi All

I haven't noticed much moulting.

I give them Verm-X each month. We did have an out break of red mite during July but got on top of that.

John

[colliebird]

One of my Blackrocks went broody, stopped laying, so I put 6 fertile eggs under her that I bought from Gaz.  That was 3 weeks ago, and she's been covering the eggs all the time until yesterday when she came off the nest and hasn't been back on.  Will she start laying again soon?  It's a pity she didn't stay on the eggs until they hatched.