stopped laying

[kraziemand]

hi this is my first time on this site. looks great.
i have 2 light sussex and three brown chickens, i have the brown chickens about a five weeks now and they have stopped laying , they all layed every day until two weeks ago one of sessex went broody it only lasted a week bt brown ladies havn't layed since. i'm quite new to chickens and learning fast by already having two die a few months ago.
could it be worms , mites the way i feed them , i just have no idea, they were point of lay when i brought them if that helps.
i will be very greatful for all info
thanks amanda

[Wombat]

G'Day Amanda,

If they all stopped at once, and you guys are starting to move towards autumn, it is possible that they are starting the moult and will replace their feathers (so you will find chook feathers all over their quarters). They will not lay again until they have completed moulting if this is the case, and that may not be until the days start to lengthen towards spring. Another way to manage it is to provide artificial light, but I'm afraid that I have no experience here. The moult can also be brought on by stress such as lack of food or water, a scare etc. A scare can also temporarily stop the chooks from laying, but if they don't moult they will recover quickly.

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

Hi Kraziemand and welcome to the forum. I'm another Mand(y), probably crazy too!

I don't know the answer to your question as it's my first year with hens too which I got point of lay in April. I'm also learning fast having had a hen go broody twice. The second time I felt like an old hand knowing the signs and what to expect!

Are you feeding them layers pellets/mash? All the stuff I read says to make sure they get predominantly this for eating rather than scraps because it's a balanced diet aimed at laying hens. Also if they get overweight (eating too much corn for example) I think this can affect their laying. They need grit for their crops and oyster shell for the calcuim for the eggshells.

[kraziemand]

thank you both for your help, i can't see any signs of moulting , but maybe i am feeding them to well with greens. i did read some where that country wide pellets aren't up to much and i did change my feed to this just after i got the chickens. i should go back to my old supplier.
i've always wanted chickens since i was a child and i never thought they were such high maintenance.
thanks again
amanda

[Wombat]

No worries!

I have found them to be pretty low maintence over the years, but they can still surprise you and do something unexpected at any time!

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

I don't know that they are necessarily high maintenance, but they certainly take up a lot of my time!!!

Oh and by the way Nev, I did get pecked yesterday - a friendly inquisitive peck but none the less - ow! Just hope it wasn't rabid (a joke from another thread, Kraziemand)