My Flock O’ Five is winding up moulting.
Hens look done, rooster still looking a bit ratty.
But nobody has laid for months.
I was thinking they may have aged out.
Oldest is a Barred Rock who’s 6, other hens are an Easter Egger I guesstimate at 5, a Wyandotte probably 4 or 5 & a Cochin who’s 3.
I know none, save the BR, are known as heavy producers.
The Wyandotte was last to give up laying - her eggs have distinctive mottling.
Then last week, I was doing my sweep of their fenced yard & found 3 eggs - 2 def the Wyandotte’s & 1 maybe.
I’d found the odd egg outside the coop before, hence my Search & Destroy.
Not often & nest boxes were being used.
We’d had cool enough weather so I figured they were good. And 2 of the 3 were, last still unused.
My questions are:
#1-Why are they boycotting the nestboxes? 
#2How long after moult is done I can expect eggage to resume? My feeble memory can’t recall (after 10+yrs of chickens 
)
When mine get that way, I clean out all the hay, vaccuum it out and spray lightly with permethrin to hopefully address any crawly things that might be bothering them, and replace with lots of fresh hay. Sometimes they still prefer the corner of my stalls, but they mostly cooperate.
You better hope your hens don’t find out they’re 2nd to the dog!
) so in the winter I… buy eggs.
