Completely normal for them to stop laying or only lay an occasional egg until probably about Feb (at least here in KS) when their production should start picking back up. Some breeds or genetic lines within breeds will lay throughout the winter months they just might lay a little less than typical in the warmer months. Now is a good time though with little to no egg production to check your girls over for external or internal parasites and treat them. Many anti parasitics have egg withdrawl times. At this time of year using them means not having to toss a weeks worth of eggs (because there aren't any). So that's a benefit.
Have a great day!
Marla
I usually lurk along here in this group as I don't have much to say having only had my five girls since april 2011.
I want to send thanks to the group. Without y'all, I wouldn't have realized one of my girls was eggbound. And if--by chance--I would have understood it, probably would have panicked. Instead--even though it was scary--I brought Esther in to warm her up, checked her belly, felt the stuck egg. Meanwhile, the quasi-spouse oiled his finger and tried to move the egg from its "stuck place" with little luck. When he went to check for info online, I massaged her belly and then couldn't really feel the egg any longer. We put her outside and within 5-10 minutes, she'd passed the egg. :)
The wonderful thing is how she was so understanding of the whole process while we poked and massaged, though I was cooing at her the whole time. So, thanks so much.
My question: with the little light left here this time of year (I'm in WA state) I think it's normal that the girls stop laying almost entirely. The quasi--now a bit shell-shocked from the eggbound situation--is worried that the little to no eggs we get is because other girls are eggbound. I laughed a bit but said I'd ask. Is it normal if they lay NO eggs until the light returns?
Thanks again.
Renée in WA
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
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