# Egg Production way off



## Bluetick1955 (Sep 1, 2017)

Hi, new to forum

I have 8 golden comets that are 2 years old. They had been laying 6-8 eggs consistently until recently. Now I get 0-3 per day. Haven't changed anything except went from crumble to pellets, same brand of food.
I see a lot of feathers in the fence but they don't look like they are molting . Feathers look fine to me. This is my first chickens .

Any ideas? it has been hot this summer but has cooled

THX

JOhn


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi John! For us, it's the beginning of the molting season and thus reduced egg production. Welcome to the forum!

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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The fact you're noticing extra feathers lying around pretty much points to a molt going on. Not all chickens get nekked when they molt, it's a few here a few there all the while producing replacements.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Hi John. My eggs went from 12 a day to 2 a day a month or so ago. Heat and Molting. I think many people think 3 chickens makes 3 eggs every day. But reality is, they don't. They stop laying for various reasons, like taking breaks, molting, heat, cold.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Welcome to the forum. My birds are slowly losing feathers, it's molt. They usually stop laying eggs during molt. Decrease in daylight hours also causes loss in egg production.
Age also effects egg production; generally, after 2 years egg productions slows considerably.


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## oldhen2345 (May 14, 2017)

I don't know what to do with my Buff Orpington. She is 2 1/2 yrs old and has been broody for months. I finally broke her of it about a month ago, then she began to molt. After that, she laid a pretty brown egg every other day for about 1 week, now has gone broody again. What to do? I hate to send her to Freezer Camp, she is a pet. But, I don't want the other chickens to get the broody spirit from her. I also only have two nesting boxes and she takes one- she also is very mean to the other chickens when I make her leave the nesting box to eat. Any ideas?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Either pick up some chicks at the feed store or get her some fertile eggs. There is a hormone cycle involved and just breaking broodiness on some breeds is not enough. They are driven to complete the cycle all the way to raising chicks.

I go through this on a regular basis with Silkies. Since I no longer am breeding birds, I pick up some chicks from the feed store (pullets) let her raise them until she's done then give them away.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Put her in a cage out of sight from the rest of your flock for one week, like in a garage. Provide her food and water. Then return her to the flock. If she's still broody, isolate her for two weeks, that should do the trick. Isolating her will also knock her down in the pecking order, then maybe she wont be mean to the others.


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## oldhen2345 (May 14, 2017)

dawg53 said:


> Put her in a cage out of sight from the rest of your flock for one week, like in a garage. Provide her food and water. Then return her to the flock. If she's still broody, isolate her for two weeks, that should do the trick. Isolating her will also knock her down in the pecking order, then maybe she wont be mean to the others.


I will try this starting tomorrow. Hope it works, if not, I will get some fertile eggs and let her sit on them. Don't want any chicks, though. I brooded about 18 chicks this spring and just broke down and stored the brooder box. Guess I could give them away on Craigs list.


robin416 said:


> Either pick up some chicks at the feed store or get her some fertile eggs. There is a hormone cycle involved and just breaking broodiness on some breeds is not enough. They are driven to complete the cycle all the way to raising chicks.
> 
> I go through this on a regular basis with Silkies. Since I no longer am breeding birds, I pick up some chicks from the feed store (pullets) let her raise them until she's done then give them away.


Oh Lord, I have 4 Orpingtons. Hopefully Alberta is the only one with such a strong brood instinct. I let her hatch chicks last year. I was hoping to skip this one. I hand raised about 18 chicks in a brooder this year. I will try isolating her for a week or so, if it doesn't work, will take your advise and get some eggs for her to hatch.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I sold my breeding flock back in 2012. I kept my old non producing birds and one paint female. She was a maybe two years old at that time. Fast forward to today, she still lays and goes broody several times a year. 

The cage trick does not work with her. Once released she'll lay a few eggs and go right back to going broody. The only way I've been able to stop that cycle is to give her chicks to raise. Then she's good for three or four months and goes right back to it again. 

In a nutshell, I have a bird that is six or seven years old still driving me crazy going broody every time I turn around. She's broody now for the third or fourth time this year. At least when my eight year old Hamburgs go broody they say to heck with it after a couple of weeks and don't bother again for months.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Mine are all molting , plus the getting dark at 8pm is slowing egg production down

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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Same here;2-3 eggs from 25 chickens.Mine are molting and it's getting darker earlier.I have 2 broody hens and I'm not in the mood to fight with them so I'm letting them have at it,as long as they stay on the same clutch of eggs.


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