[camelliagirl]

Hi all
I have 3 girls.  Buttercup seemed to go off lay and go into what I assumed was a moult around the middle of August - she seems now to be completely re-feathered but hasn't started back into lay.

Camilla seemed to lose only a few feathers and regrow them but apart from the odd day hasn't really stopped laying.

Prunella has done similar to Buttercup but is a couple of weeks behind her schedule.

Just really want to know how long the moult should last - mid August until now seems quite a long time but maybe that's normal and do I need do anything to encourage them back into lay?

Many thanks for any advice

[Casey76]

It really is the wrong time of year for a hen to come back into lay.

If they are moulting, then it suggests that they are over a year old, by which time egg laying over winter diminishes significantly.

if they are hybrids, you may expect a couple of eggs a week, but really nothing more prolific until spring, and the lighter nights again, I'm afraid.

[camelliagirl]

Thanks for your advice.  They are hybrids and probably about 18 months old (i got them as POL June last year).   

I would like to keep up roughly same production as I was getting  (ie egg daily from these 3 hens) so I may consider getting say two more hens if current girls production is likely to continue to drop. Can you also tell me how long I might expect them to survive. Do I also deduce from your comments that hybrids drop down their egg production quickly and perhaps pure breeds do not? Although are there other problems with pure breeds which I wouldn't get with hybrids?

I don't need loads of eggs but I have space for at least 3 more hens so I'm wondering if now is the time to start to increase the flock by 2 and then once something happens to one or two of the existing get a couple more (hence the question about their longevity).

[Sassy]

All chooks are born with only so many eggs to lay. Hybrids will generally lay very well and often through the winter although may not lay as regularly, this does wear them out and they often only average 2 to 3 years. However, if they have had a good life so what! Pure breeds generally do not lay as well but will lay for longer and usually live longer as well - not so worn out!

[gibbo]

Please beg my parden if i have misunderstood, but i get the impresion that you are thinking your girls will not lay as good as you have been used to ever again, however they will get back up to speed again as soon as the days are lighter for longer, prob around feb time.  It sounds like they have finished their moult but that doeesnt mean they automatically start laying again. Getting more hens may not give you more eggs at this time of the year as even young hens will slow down a little for the winter.  I have four hens and had quite a few friends relying on me for eggs but even i might have to resort to getting eggs from somewhere else for a couple of months as my girls have stoped for awhile.