# No eggs



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I had a hen go for a walk out of the yard and not return last night. I decided I would keep the run closed for the ladies to re-establish where to lay eggs(hiding eggs is cute but annoying).
I went out this evening and there were no eggs at all. None in the coop or in the run. It did rain and snow today, curious if that would be enough to stop the ladies from laying.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Big slow down on laying at this time every year, particularly if the birds are past their first flush of youth. I've got one bird laying steady out of 8 mature layers..and she's always the one still laying at this time. She's a little New Hampshire, six years old and still laying most days of her life. 

Just hormonal changes. Half of my flock are recovering from molt and half are just going into molt...one is molting worse than I've ever seen a chicken molt, I kid you not. She looks like someone put her into a chicken plucker while still alive.  She doesn't even appear to have any pin feathers coming in..


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

All but two of my flock are not even a full year yet. And one of the two older birds is on the cull list for the winter. 
I expected to see a drop in production over the winter, but did not expect no eggs at all. 
Being that I intend to have a flock, with all the birds in the 1-3 year group and none older, how much extra stress will lighting the coop cause?
Are there breeds that will lay all winter? Or maybe a different type I bird like a duck.. Winters are tough here an I need all the proteins I can get..


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## RickaRae (Aug 12, 2013)

What breeds do you currently have? I personally don't believe lighting the coop is a good idea, hens have a slowdown in laying to let their bodies rest, & they need it! Jersey Giants tend to be better a breed for winter layers, as well as Orpingtons, I believe.

A hen is like a woman in that she hatches with every egg she will ever produce, so lighting the coop will not cause her to lay more eggs, just more often & she will reach the end of laying earlier in her life. :-( My advice is to let them rest & collect the eggs you can during their resting period, & get some breeds that are more likely to lay in the colder months. Enjoy your birds!!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

powderhogg01 said:


> All but two of my flock are not even a full year yet. And one of the two older birds is on the cull list for the winter.
> I expected to see a drop in production over the winter, but did not expect no eggs at all.
> Being that I intend to have a flock, with all the birds in the 1-3 year group and none older, how much extra stress will lighting the coop cause?
> Are there breeds that will lay all winter? Or maybe a different type I bird like a duck.. Winters are tough here an I need all the proteins I can get..


This why most farmers will keep a good broody who will usually hatch a clutch in Mar/April...and the result is POL pullets come winter slow down time. That way you have a rolling flock of birds who are retired to the soup pot and others coming into lay each year...it takes some practice but it can work smoothly when you get the hang of it.

At the same time, they often keep high production breeds in the flock who will lay well for a couple of years and burn out quickly after that...these can be incubated under a DP hen for more of the same if you keep a high production breed rooster as your flock breeder. That's why so many folks had leghorn or RIR roos back in the day.

Switch over to breeds that actually lay well for most of the year, dispense with funny looking and interesting breeds and stick to the gold standard breeds that actually deliver on the eggs and also have some meat when they are done, will go broody when they are supposed to and recreate their own kind. There is a reason that certain breeds were developed over time to a SOP by some of the most dedicated breeders in our country and we built a nation on these good old breeds...not on EEs, silkies, Polish top hats or other foo-foo birds.

Try Black Australorps, New Hampshires, Rhode Island Reds(heritage lines if you can get them as they will be meatier and hardier), White Rocks are a steady layer and the meatiest carcass, Leghorns will lay through the winter and get a few standard cochin for the brooding of chicks and you are golden. Top them with a big, heritage line RIR and you've got a flock that will not only provide eggs but will also pay for their feed bill over and over through the sale of eggs.

Lighting the coop is for commercial laying operations and others who don't know how to manage a flock over the long term, IMO. In olden times they wouldn't think of putting a light in the coop, but they sure did find ways to have eggs all winter because they HAD to..and it was healthy, natural ways to do it. My granny never had a winter with no eggs coming in and she didn't have electricity in her coop at all.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. Currently I have an Orpington roo, mostly RIR, with a white brahama, and a speckled Sussex. I highly doubt my RIR are heritage line.


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