NEED ADVICE: My friend's Entire Chicken Flock have stopped Laying - ANY IDEAS - He may have to kill them

Switched to Layena lay pellets...was using off brand- hens looked bad and we're eating their eggs if they did lay..

Light, not warmth is key to laying...a string of white Christmas lights in the coup set on a timer to extend the "daylight" hours to 14 hours...works wonders, not as expensive to run as heat lamp...heat lamps can cause fires... neighbor lost his garage one spring from heat lamp on some chicks...

An old woman who had a ranch told me to save the egg shells and crush and BAKE for 30 minutes at 250...then feed back to hens...hens don't see/smell/taste as eggs.

I did this and my hens are now laying like crazy in freezing weather with NO lights...

24 girls(all utility breeds)
Getting 12 eggs a day
Dead of winter...
Was 18 degrees yesterday morning

So...change your feed
Prep your egg shells
(don't trust the oyster stuff, back in the day it was actually fractured oyster shell, now it doesn't look or smell right and hens won't touch it)
Add light is u want...

Give it 2 weeks
Also
Rodents eat/ take eggs
As do raccons and skunks
And ground squirrels when not hybernating.

Racoons kill birds though so you'd know if u had one

They're brutal
they kill just to kill

Collecting eggs 2 to 3 times a day helps with egg eaters

Btw, my banty hens stopped laying in October, so breed does make a difference

Good luck or good eating.

Also...a hen that is laying has a really red comb that is 'waxy'.
Her feathers won't be perfect cus she's getting in and out of the best box..and if she has yellow leggs, they'll turn pale from laying...you're on your own if they have black legs though, lol

Use this criteria for culling the flock...

Also check for parasite
Scaley lag caused by mites
Love in the feathers will cause loss of production

Good books at tractor supply, but don't by their brand of feed, dumor
Su ks the big one

OP I hope you read this before your friend kills those chickens! I have raised chickens for 20 years. It's WINTER! Most chickens either stop completely or are laying next to nothing during this time, it's normal and gives them a break from laying that helps them build up body reserves for when spring hits. So here are some things for your friend to consider before he kills them. And some ways to get them back into lay.

Temperature- If the coop is too cold the chickens stop laying. I used to keep a heat lamp in my coop in the winters, and now there are safe ways to keep your coop warm. It doesn't need to be hot, just above freezing

Light- Chickens lay eggs based on hours of light. This keeps them from trying to raise chicks in the winter. Having a light on in the coop is absolutely necessary in winter. I always keep a light on in the winter during the day. It helps them keep laying.

Food- During winter it's colder and chickens need more feed to keep warm. If you arn't feeding them enough they will stop laying. I would buy cracked corn and sprinkle it in their litter. It helps get them moving and keeps them warm.

Wet coop- If the litter they walk in is wet or soggy it's cold. It will make them cold and then they wont lay. I use wood shavings from the feed store and keep a good dry layer on top to keep their feetsies warm.

Water- One day of no water can stop chickens from laying for a week. It takes a lot of water to create eggs. If the water is freezing the chickens aren't drinking. I use a water tank heater to keep it ice free. You can get them at feed stores or online.

Cod liver oil- Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin D. We stop getting good amounts of vitamin D in the winter due to lack of sun. Could chickens laying be influenced on the amount of vitamin D in their bodies. It seems likely. I buy the cheap omega fish oil online in gel caps. For a 5 gallon waterer I would break about 4 pills in the trough. I always use an automatic waterer.

Age- Chickens start laying at five months. After 2 years of age their laying rate drops. So if it's an old flock they wont lay as much. But considering they ALL stopped laying I would say it's because of it being winter.

Moulting- If the chickens are moulting then they will stop laying. This is normal and healthy as there bodies need the extra reserves to stay warm and make new feathers.

Breed- There are some breeds of chickens who cannot handle cold weather and will stop laying. I always choose breeds who are good winter layers. If you friend got the wrong breed then they may not lay well in winter but will start again in spring.

My opinion is that they stopped laying due to the cold and lack of daylight. If your friend puts and light in, keeps the coop above freezing, feeds them extra and starts giving them fish oil they will probably start laying again. It will take a few weeks though.

Remember that animals aren't machines. They have cycles of production and rest and this is necessary for their health. I have kept my chickens in lay all winter by doing the above. They don't lay as well as in summer, but I still get eggs.

I had 3 hens.. first month a coon got to 2 of them within 48 hrs and ripped their heads clean off their bodies. The 3rd one was so scared it didn’t lay eggs for months but eventually came around.

Am I the only tender hearted fool who would let any older non-laying hens live out their lives in peace and happiness and not kill them?

Eat one chicken a day until they start laying - they'll break soon enough.

I have old girls and they aren't laying now..but it is totally normal for chickens to not lay in the winter. It is about light, and temp, and protein levels. I supplement with dried mealworms in the winter and our girls get lots of veggie scraps from the kitchen. and they LOVE spaghetti. But no eggs quite yet. It's likely they will start laying again soon as the days are getting obviously longer.
Here's a great download for home remedies for true illnesses. [link to www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com (secure)]

There are loads of great homesteading websites and youtube channels with info about raising backyard chickens as well.

I love chickens ....and eggs....I know he's always taken the best care of these little guys, I'd hate to think he'd have to kill them. I guess he can't afford to keep them if they won't lay.

Is there any sickness that might cause this? Weather condition?

I totes would!

We have 8 chickens and they consistently lay unless they are molting. My wife is the genius on this and she’s always changing their feed. They did slow down when it starting getting cold, so she put tarps all the way around chickenworld to break the wind and the laying picked up again. My wife spends so much time with them she knows which egg comes from what chicken.
Also I’ve seen people have recommended to use heat lamps, we have never used them, huge fire risk in our opinion. With a well insulated coup, chickens are fine. We do have a chicken coup cam to keep an eye on them 24/7 though. These chickens are our pets and we treat them like our cats and dogs, actually I’m surprised my wife doesn’t have them in the house with us.

Obviously I don't know anything about raising chickens.

But I'm just curious, why would you kill them because

they are having trouble laying eggs???

Is that something that really happens?

They stop laying eggs and then--off with their heads?

Really?

It's a large flocks, several dozen chickens and they've ALL stopped laying. He says he's gonna have to kill them all. I don't know anything about this except it sounds rather apocalyptic.

Has anyone seen this before and do you have any advice?