My Hens Quit Laying This Week. It Wasn't the Cold — Here's What It Was

🐔 When a hen is sick, the first hour matters. My Sick Hen Notebook: 23 common problems, one page each, what to do tonight and what it costs → https://opal-sick-hen.vercel.app/?src... My twelve hens went from nine eggs a day to two in one week. Everybody said it was the cold. It wasn't. Here's what it really was, the seven things I check in order (five of them free), what it cost me, and what my red hen Dottie was hiding in the barn. What I check when the eggs drop off, cheapest first: 1. Daylight — hens need about 14 hours of light to lay steady; under 12 they slow way down. 2. The molt — feathers on the floor, pin feathers, bright eyes and eating = molt, not sickness. 3. The feed tag — molting hens need more protein: I switch from 16% layer to an 18-20% all-flock feed, with oyster shell on the side. Less scratch. 4. Missing eggs — look for egg eating and hidden nests (check the barn!). 5. Mites — wipe a white paper towel under the roost after dark. 6. Stress — tracks, digging, feathers outside the fence. 7. Age — a hen lays the most in her first two years. What I won't buy: egg laying boosters, heat lamps, fancy molting formulas, lights left on all night. Chapters 0:00 The case: 9 eggs a day to 2 1:30 The 7 things I check, cheapest first 1:43 1. Count your daylight 3:24 2. Look for the molt 5:22 3. Read the feed bag (the $24 fix) 7:06 4. Are the eggs really gone? 8:00 5. Mites — the paper towel test 9:34 6. Stress & predators 10:25 7. How old is she? 11:34 What I won't buy 12:55 What that week cost me 13:27 Saturday morning: Dottie 14:16 The water test for found eggs 15:14 How the week ended 15:51 Question of the week: heat lamps 16:39 Before you spend a dime Tell me in the comments where you're watching from and how many hens you've got. I read every one. — Opal