My girls stopped laying a few weeks ago and production is very spotty. 3 eggs per day from 30 hens. Some are molting but most are not. Most folks have told me it's probably because of the hot weather. Is this true? Other than the weather, nothing has changed.
My rooster is not crowing either
Thanks
BB
My chickens don't lay and my rooster won't crow
My hens have been rather unproductive this summer (we've had constant 95-100 degree weather); I am blaming it on the heat. Can't comment on the rooster; I have only hens.
They do slow down laying in the heat. We don't get near enough eggs for the amount of laying hens we have. The molting will also slow the laying. A little extra protein may help the molting ones.
Does the roo act any differently? usually if they have been crowing and then stop there is something bothering them. Is he eating and drinking normally?
are they getting enough light? a light comes on in my coop about 4am and then they are outside till dark..they need at least 14 hours..and yes the heat will bother them..
Are you feeding laying pellets? I kept them available to mine constantly. This will help, but they do slow down in extremely hot weather.
As for the rooster, do you suppose he's just "hen-pecked"?
LOL
I had a Barnevelder Roo that stopped crowing for about 3 months.. He was fine, just quiet... He started again later when some of the teenager roos started crowing
Thanks everyone.
I have been feeding them laying pellets as well as "goodies" from the garden. Tomatoes, plants etc.
How much light do they need? The door to the coop has glass panes so they get light as soon as the sun comes up. I let them out at daybreak and put them in at dark
The rooster looks fine. Just not crowing. I won't touch the "hen-pecked" remark LOL
BB
they need about 14 hours of daylight weather it be artificial or otherwise..especially since days are starting to get shorter..
OK. More light it is
Thanks
Ours have a light on in there coop all night and they still cut back on laying in hot weather, and when they are molting.
The sad thing is, ours also cut back on laying when it is cold.
A never ending battle!
they shouldnt have a light on all nite.just like us they need their dark too..i wouldnt like it if there were a light on all nite.
Bronxboy, I don't know a thing about chickens, but we have not been able to get eggs at either of the local farmers markets because of the hot weather, and the vendors also say the birds molt during the hot weather. Maybe your old boy just needs a couple of cool evenings to get his doodle-doo back. Pam
Maybe he needs some competition in the crowing department, our neighbors have roosters and we do too, they are always competing with each other. It neat to hear one start and then the others will take it up.
If a rooster needs 14 hours of light to crow that means they don't crow in the winter????? I got a rooster just because I like the sound. Its sad to think that in a month or 2 there won't be anymore cock-a-doodle-do wake up calls!
I learn so many new things on this forum :-p
Oh! If only that were true...roosters will crow. They will crow in the dark if they have to.
They will also crow after $200 de-crowing operations...so don't waste your money.
Sigh.
so, light doesn't affect there crowing? Good cuz I really enjoy it. (don't know if my neighbors agree though)
De-crowing operations? LOL!
ha, we have a roo that sleeps in a tree, he crows when anything moves...day or night!
Aunt_A
Aug 28, 2009
My parents raise partial free range chickens (they can free range in a large open but fenced area during daylight hours) and when it gets too hot they stop laying.
Their young roosters don't crow but the Top Dog rooster has never stopped crowing.
Really wanted to say that the name of this thread sounds like a country song:
"My chickens don't lay and my rooster won't crow!"
Oh, what a life on the range I chose.
I didn't know what I just didn't know;
But there's no where I'd rather go.
Goats in the corn but no little boy blue to blow his horn.
Have me a daughter with hair as gold as the sun
And I wouldn't trade her for all the gold in the world.
Country living, country life.
So, let me scratch my chickens, then close 'em in for the night...
Water the mule, he's my scrawny watch dog.
He'll chase the fox and kick the 'possum
Mule's got an eagle eye so no coon will get my chicks.
Oh, My chickens don't lay and my rooster won't crow!
But me and the wife, we love it out here.
Country living, country life.
Country living, country life.
Country living, country life.
Cock-a-Doodle-Do!
I agree with you Aunt_A about the title of the tread.....
Thats the reason I looked at what it was about...............
It sounded like a song to me too......LOL
Quick! Copyright it!
I would if I could sing. I'll leave it to Aunt_A
BB
Batflower, I'd be glad to help you out....How many roos would you like me to send?
LOL catmad
LOL! I'd take them if I could!
Aunt_A
Aug 28, 2009
Shoot, I can't carry a tune in a bucket. It hops right out and back in again.
I decided why it sounds like a song:
"My daddy don't dance and my momma don't rock and roll!"
That is about all I know of that song is the catchy title or line...I really don't know which it is.
A
I was thinking that same thing................LOL