Chickens not laying!

cheyannarach 10/30/2013, 12:58 am

So my new chickens just started laying in August for a few weeks and now nothing! It's been almost 2 months since we have seen an egg. I have heard from some local friends that it is normal and from some that it isn't. We feed them layers crumble and give them some scraps (but not a lot). Keep the coop clean, they have a heat light we turn on when it's cold, no predators (that we know of) have been lurking around. One friend of mine says it because they are molting and getting their winter feathers, another says it's the lack of daylight, and others say their chickens are still laying. Any ideas?

**Turan** 10/30/2013, 1:21 am

These are first year layers so they do not moult until next year. Hens need 14-16 hours of light inorder to lay.
I recently had the same conversation with my DH. He has taken over chicken care this year. I told him to turn the chicken coop light on at the equinox and he never did. We were getting no eggs. When I kept reminding him at last he said, It is not cold out they do not need the warmth. Nope it is not about warmth ( or not totally) they need the light. It took a couple weeks after that for the ovaries to turn back on and the eggs to reach the stage of being laid. It is nice having eggs again.

Here is a link about it http://smallfarm.about.com/od/chickens/a/Light-In-The-Chicken-Coop.htm

cheyannarach 10/30/2013, 2:01 am

I hope that's it!! Hubby is already talking about filling the freezer

. Maybe daylight savings time will help some, our heat light is red, do you think that matters?

littlejo 10/30/2013, 7:26 am

I cannot say whether they need the heat or not for in an area where it is mighty cold, some heat may be needed to keep them from freezing, but, just give them some light! They need some light during the day to lay. Mine are just a little older than yours, and they lay 1 egg per day, a couple lay 2 per day, and 1 gives double yolkers.
Jo

plantoid 10/30/2013, 10:51 am

If the lighting is getting expensive perhaps consider some of the high intensity red or day light LED lamps that use surface mount technology and are encased behind a glass front.

Terminology on the likes of eBay might be " 36 smd LED encased lamp )" initially the lamps seem expensive but they consume a fraction of standard incandescent bulbs and they also last about 10 times as long . Another big factor is that they are cool bulbs so are not likely to cause of a fire if disturbed or brought down into bedding by the chickens .

My mate runs his LED chicken shed lights on a mechanical plug in timer for 16 hrs. a day

**Turan** 10/30/2013, 1:43 pm

It will take 4 weeks or so to get them back into production. They need a yellow light, something mimicking daylight. We use a 60 wat incandescent and change it to a 100 wat in January. That up-age is for the heat rather than the light. Our coop has only 2 plug-ins, one for the water heater and one for the light.

Tell Hubby to be patient and not blame the chickens. They are just doing as nature tells them. If you do not do a light they will stop until the days lengthen and you will lots of eggs come spring.

plantoid 10/30/2013, 7:46 pm

As an aside to heat from 100 watt lamps you can now also get ceramic & Black heat bulbs in 25 ,30 and 40 watt ratings , they use the dark end of the spectrum of infra red heat which warms the chickens rather than the air around them .

They are also exceedingly long life bulbs specifically made for the purpose and they work well with big 20 inch polished aluminium lamp shades to reflect the infrared downwards .

cheyannarach 10/31/2013, 12:28 pm

Looks like I need to go light shopping, all I have in there now is a heat bulb (red). Thank you!

Triciasgarden 10/31/2013, 7:58 pm

I agree with the light. Two winters ago I got a bulb that put out light and heat. I got the bulb (if I remember right, it was a whitish bulb) and the aluminum frame that Plantoid is talking about. I got it from a chain farm store in their poultry section so it was geared toward them. My chickens laid eggs all winter and it was a very hard winter. Last year I got a heat lamp that was I think reddish color from WM. My chickens did not lay eggs until the days got longer in the spring.

cheyannarach 11/1/2013, 7:21 pm

That's funny, I never would have guessed that the color of the light would have mattered!

Triciasgarden 11/1/2013, 7:30 pm

I didn't either and thought that the chickens were done with laying eggs but sure enough when the days got long enough, they started laying eggs again.

cheyannarach 11/1/2013, 7:38 pm

I need to invest in a light!

plantoid 11/1/2013, 7:48 pm

cheyannarach wrote:I need to invest in a light!

And a big reflective shade ..no use lighting up the spiders in the roof space it's the chooks that need the light and warmth . Laughing

cheyannarach 11/1/2013, 8:07 pm

Aha! Will do, would that also be found in the poultry department?

plantoid 11/1/2013, 8:39 pm

cheyannarach wrote:Aha! Will do, would that also be found in the poultry department?

They are in the UK

cheyannarach 11/1/2013, 9:58 pm

Thanks! I will be picking these up my next trip to the city!

**walshevak** 11/4/2013, 10:48 pm

cheyannarach wrote:Aha! Will do, would that also be found in the poultry department?

They are at Tractor Supply

Kay

cheyannarach 11/6/2013, 2:04 am

I don't have a Tractor Supply, just Runnings.

**Turan** 11/6/2013, 11:41 am

Ask at the feed store. The same thing is used to keep bum lambs and piglets warm.
Here such supplies are at Murdochs and the farmers co op.

cheyannarach 11/11/2013, 10:55 pm

We got an egg!!!! Just one and it froze and cracked over night, but still! Hubby has called off the execution! Very Happy

southern gardener 11/12/2013, 1:34 am

cheyannarach wrote:We got an egg!!!! Just one and it froze and cracked over night, but still! Hubby has called off the execution!

Cherbear 11/12/2013, 11:05 am

That's fantastic! Congratulations on your first egg, even if it did crack and freeze! santa

**Turan** 11/12/2013, 1:09 pm

Excellent, and timely!

We are getting our first eggs as well from our spring pullets.

plantoid 11/12/2013, 3:28 pm

southern gardener wrote:
cheyannarach wrote:We got an egg!!!! Just one and it froze and cracked over night, but still! Hubby has called off the execution!

Best hide the chicken soup recipe then Huh ?

**Kelejan** 11/12/2013, 3:42 pm

cheyannarach wrote:We got an egg!!!! Just one and it froze and cracked over night, but still! Hubby has called off the execution!

Try teaching the hen to sit on it.

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