hens slowing production

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
My layers egg production is dropping and my 20 hens are now down to only 4 eggs a day. Anyone else seeing a drop in egg production? Most of my layers stop laying during the Winter.

I'm assuming a snake hasn't been back eating eggs but I am not SURE. I have been covering all the snake access points I can find, but I'm sure that small snakes can still get in. I would think that most snakes have been looking for their Winter hibernation dens this time of year?
 

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
Well maybe for a few of the older hens, but I was getting a dozen a day about a month ago. Just seems like they are slowing sooner I expected this year. Maybe I should find out who the slackers are and convert them into roasters? LOL

Henopause :shrug:
 

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
No kidding - the cost of feed for my crew is about $15 a week. They ought to be standing in line to give me hugs in exchange for their feed all Winter .... :huggy: - speaking of hugs, some of the girls that used to run now let me catch them - seems they LIKE being held and hugged/petted :yay:

Mine are slowing too. Freeloaders.
 
It's because of the shorter day length. If they have a coop, put a light in there on a timer to simulate summer day length, on at 5AM and off at 8PM or something. That's what I did when I had hens many moons ago.
 

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
Yup I know - I try to keep them "natural" though - so don't use lights in the Winter. Figured they'd be healthier that way? Not sure it matters?

It's because of the shorter day length. If they have a coop, put a light in there on a timer to simulate summer day length, on at 5AM and off at 8PM or something. That's what I did when I had hens many moons ago.
 
Yup I know - I try to keep them "natural" though - so don't use lights in the Winter. Figured they'd be healthier that way? Not sure it matters?

Think about all those eggs that aren't being passed, just backing up in the hen!! Pretty soon the hen will explode from egg-backup!







waiting for the obvious pun to follow....
 

cattitude

My Sweetest Boy
Think about all those eggs that aren't being passed, just backing up in the hen!! Pretty soon the hen will explode from egg-backup!







waiting for the obvious pun to follow....

Don't know about a pun...but I wonder how you might know about the "backup" phenomenon. :wink:


Could it be because you no longer have a hen?
 

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
Chicken Facts

On average, a hen lays 300 eggs per year.

Nine egg yolks have been found in one chicken egg.

A mother hen turns her egg approximately 50 times in a day. This is so the yolk does not stick to the shell.

To produce a dozen eggs, a hen has to eat about four pounds of feed.

The largest chicken egg ever laid weighed a pound and had a double yolk and shell.

A chicken with red earlobes will produce brown eggs, and a chicken with white earlobes will produce white eggs.

A chicken is 75% water.

In the U.S., approximately 46% of the chicken that is eaten by people comes from restaurants or other food outlets.

Hens will produce larger eggs as they grow older.

A chicken loses its feathers when it becomes stressed.

A chicken once had its head cut off and survived for over eighteen months, headless.

Amazing Chicken Facts | Strange Chicken Facts | Funny Chicken Facts
 

aps45819

24/7 Single Dad
My layers egg production is dropping and my 20 hens are now down to only 4 eggs a day. Anyone else seeing a drop in egg production? Most of my layers stop laying during the Winter.

I'm assuming a snake hasn't been back eating eggs but I am not SURE. I have been covering all the snake access points I can find, but I'm sure that small snakes can still get in. I would think that most snakes have been looking for their Winter hibernation dens this time of year?

Could be stress from roving packs of feral cats
 

Sharon

* * * * * * * * *
Staff member
PREMO Member
Think about all those eggs that aren't being passed, just backing up in the hen!! Pretty soon the hen will explode from egg-backup!







waiting for the obvious pun to follow....
For eggsample...

You crack me up.

hahaha... that's all yolks!
 

ArkRescue

Adopt me please !
oh my
 

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