Question Okay...seriously???

[TomK]

I know that the girls ( and of course the guys, altho I am less concerned about them) go into moult this time of year and egg production goes down, way down as they redirect protein energies to feather production and more power to them but this is ridiculous...at present count I have 25, count 'em, twenty five and last week I was down to 2-3 eggs a day...the rocks are doing the heavy lifting...and occasionally a RIR chimes in...i have two leghorn mutts that haven't laid an egg in 2 months..just stopped cold...look and act great..just don't lay..same with the one EE hen..fully plumage restored but nada on the egg front and some of my customers have asked me where e green egg is in my dozens..lol....

Anyway, a question....does the presence of several roosters have an effect?...im beginning to think its possible.I have been seriously reluctant to cull..the boys are beautiful, calm and get along...but i think its having an effect to the whole group and I am wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience... :running-chicken:

[Killerbunny]

No effect at all. This happens to me every year. Currently I have 14 "laying" hens and get 1 or 2 eggs if I'm lucky. I don't increase the light on them I'm OK with them getting a rest. The only girl that's laying regularly is Sister who took her moult when she was broody.

[Jaye]

I have no experience with multiple roosters having an adverse effect on laying, sorry.

I think, though, that not all hens have the same rate or severity of moult, and some take much longer for their reproductive system to kick in again than others after their moult is finished.

Just curious: how much light are your hens getting on a daily basis lately? If I'm not mistaken, the general consensus is that hens are supposed to have at least 14 hours of light for best egg production, and as they get older, their production will also decrease, regardless of how much light they get. Another possible reason that yours may not be laying again?

[TomK]

Jaye..thanks for that...i do not supplement light...so i know this 8 hour max daylight we have at the moment is not great...the reason i was thinking the roosters had an effect was because the RIRs (7) and the Leghorn mutts (2) are in with four boys...and the rocks and BSLs and the one EE are in another pen with only one rooster...just wondered but it was a thought that crossed my mind so I thought to ask. :running-chicken:

[Ontario Chick]

No effect at all. This happens to me every year. Currently I have 14 "laying" hens and get 1 or 2 eggs if I'm lucky. I don't increase the light on them I'm OK with them getting a rest. The only girl that's laying regularly is Sister who took her moult when she was broody.

I have 14 Ameraucanas with no rooster anywhere near and 12 Wyandottes with a head Rooster and both pens exactly the same, big fat zero.
Not hight hopes for an improvement in these pens until days get longer (although they have an additional light.
The Juniors hatched this summer should probably start laying before that.
Somebody better start laying soon, no way am I baking Christmas cookies with bought eggs.

[kenya]

The combination of decreased light, cold temperatures and some in moult mean 0 eggs. They'll start up again once they get used to the colder temps, and with a little more light.

[windwalkingwolf]

I got two eggs yesterday, both from hens that just finished up with babies. I don't even know how many hens I have, but they greatly outnumber roosters...the stress of too many roosters, getting picked on or repeatedly gang mated can put them off lay. But really, I just think it's just that we've had no sunlight for a month

[ross]

I agree . You guys need to threaten your hens .g

[WLLady]

45 birds here and today i had the most eggs i have had in a month and i got 10......

[windwalkingwolf]

My patience usually holds out until mid-December or so, and then I go in, sit down, and have a chat with them. Sometimes this works. If eggs aren't forthcoming after a couple of weeks, I storm in and give a long, loud lecture on what happens to freeloaders, often waving around a machete for dramatic effect. The younger hens often quickly and contritely hustle off and get back to work, the 3-6 year old crowd are skeptical and are masters at excuses and ingratiation, but amble towards the nest boxes with a few more flourishes of the knife...but the eye-rolling from the over-six crowd is actually audible, and they're not even fooled anymore by axe sharpening demonstrations. Last winter, I could have sworn I heard Nurse actually say "Not until March. Now, feed me, hooman."