[bloomer]

My 5 laying birds have all given up in the last 7 days in a week I have collected a total of 4 eggs and none in the last 3 days!!!

- can't decide if its the weather or they are sulking for another reason???

They do live with the teenagers (birds 12-16 weeks) who do go in and out of the house a lot could they be putting them off laying???

Its so annoying the previous week the same five birds managed over 20 eggs!!!

Suggestions anyone???

[Big Light]

Its about  Molting  time - potentially just nature saying take a break - a bit of poultry spice and shell grit won't do any harm

[HesterF]

Mine have virtually stopped too. In this case it's a combination of moult and red mite.

[Clansman]

Remember we are on shortening day lengths now too (around 15 hours at the moment)

15 hours should still be adequate to stimulate laying but purely the fact that the day length is reducing will affect them.

[Rosemary]

Productivity on in mine is dropping a bit too.

[doganjo]

Mine too - only getting 3 from 6 instead of 6 from 6.  And no green eggs, and no duck eggs either although that could be down to predators.

[Dave C]

Yes mine have just begun their molt
So numbers have dropped off quite a bit.

[bloomer]

Ah I hadn'( thought of moult largely as the new site obviously suits them and they all look happier and healthier than ever before all have good thick feathers and no bald patches, I'll keep an eye on them :-)

Going to pick up some poultry spice today to give them a boost as well (it helps I like the smell of poultry spice)

[plumseverywhere]

There's an article in country smallholding about how the weather affects egg laying - mine have stopped altogether. 14 chickens, no eggs.. .zilch.

[Anke]

Time to get the lights sorted...methinks

[lord flynn]

mine are doing well but only Gollum is moulting seriously right now-the others will follow.

[ellied]

Mine have got a bit hit or miss too - some days 2 eggs, some days 5, out of 6 that aren't away brooding, in obvious moult etc. 

I think the thunderstorm the other day and torrential rain since has made the days quite dark by comparison to previous weeks so they may be reacting to that by not ovulating even if they're not in moult?  In which case hopefully you'll get a few more eggs if the weather picks up again..

[northfifeduckling]

The ducks are picking up a bit again as most have finished moulting but the hens are slowing down. I must check if they are going elsewhere as they've been laying in the shed for a few weeks (where we keep the straw), then they've discovered the abandoned eglu...as long as they can fight for a new nesting place they are happy! I don't think the chicken moult is coming on for a few weeks yet here.

[lord flynn]

we've also had some big temperature fluctuations which never helps.