By Maile Matsimela
Those that keep a large flock of laying hens cannot afford to have too many non-productive hens around as it will heavily affect profits.
Meghan H. from the Meyer Hatchery in the USA and author of The Meyer Hatchery Blog shares a few tips on how a flock owner can generally tell which laying hens are likely to still be laying eggs and which ones have taken a break from laying or may have completely stopped.
“First, we will assume some best practices for optimal laying hen flock management are followed. Briefly, these will include:
• providing an adequate feed ration for laying hens
• no heavy parasite loads
• no threat from predators
• an adequate exposure of light within a 24-hour cycle each day
• fresh drinking water is always available.
“If any one of these criteria are lacking, it can cause hens to drastically slow or stop laying altogether.” writes Mehgan H.
She says a hen’s age will be a good indicator of her likelihood of still being in lay. A laying hen will typically begin by 5 to 6 months of age. She will usually continue to lay throughout the next 12 months or so without stopping to take a break.
Meghan says by around 18 months of age a hen will usually moult her feathers and stop laying eggs for a period of a few weeks to a few months. From that point on, she said, a hen will take an annual break to moult her feathers each autumn as she prepares for winter.
“It’s at this age that I will usually cull my less productive birds and only keep the best layers for the lean winter months.”
Feather condition and timing of moult
Usually, hens with messy feathers often lay more eggs. Feathers are made of mostly protein, and a hen that has nice, beautiful feathers is sending more protein and energy into nice feathers instead of eggs.
Also, the better producers will moult (shed old feathers) later into autumn. So those hens that may have already began moulting in late summer before the first leaves turn red are not the better layers.
Secondly, a hen that has lost the vibrant red in her comb (a fleshy, red growth on the top of a chicken’s head) and wattles (the fleshy flaps of skin that hang below a chicken’s beak) may have stopped laying.
Pigmentation and bleaching
In yellow-legged breeds, the yellow pigment will return to their vent, eye-ring, beak, legs and feet (in that order) when the hen is no longer laying. A hen that is not laying may also have a pale comb, especially if they are too young to lay.
Hands-on observation
Put your thumb and middle finger on the points of her pubic bones on either side of her vent. They should be flexible and wide; about 3 fingers should fit between them. If they are close together and not flexible, the hen is not laying. Also, the vent on a laying hen is moist and oblong shaped. A dry and puckered vent would be an indication of a non-laying hen.
Meghan adds that by using these guidelines and taking a little time to observe your flock, you can determine who are your better egg layers and who may be getting the free ride in your coop.
Read more:
Dr Patience Mlengana: A visionary transforming South Africa’s poultry industry
