Farm Chickens stopped laying

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philkar

Veteran Member
We killed a snake last week on his way to the laying boxes. The day before I had a sudden decrease in eggs so I knew he was there somewhere! Now he's not!
 
Cag3db1rd

Cag3db1rd

Paranoid Pagan
My 2c is to make sure to not leave eggs in the nest box overnight. If they have no food to steal, there is no reason to visit.
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Shooter said:
would a snake eat that many eggs every day? I think im gonna put one of my pyraneese in with the chickens
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Poisonous snakes like eggs, too! Don't put your pup in there until you get a good picture off the game cams of exactly what you are up against. A low wattage light in the coop may help to give you better pictures. Make sure your lens is clean and your batteries are tested. Good luck.
 
Tessa

Tessa

Contributing Member
My sister had neighbors stealing her eggs. It was two different families. She put a hasp and lock on her chicken house door.
The next day two of the screws were taken out of the top hinge. She keeps a close watch and gathers her eggs often now.
 
Z

zeker

Has No Life - Lives on TB
ginnie6 said:
you could try upping their protein by giving them some cat food. Just a bag of the cheap dry stuff. In the winter I give mine cracked corn to keep them laying. An old farmer told me it kept them warm so they'd keep on laying. Whatever the reason it works.
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whole wheat kernals also keeps them warm in winter
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
domino4 said:
My sister had neighbors stealing her eggs. It was two different families. She put a hasp and lock on her chicken house door.
The next day two of the screws were taken out of the top hinge. She keeps a close watch and gathers her eggs often now.
Click to expand...
Oh, boy... Depending on the neighbors (if they were REALLY in need, I'd probably handle it differently), I'd get *really* creative. Things like leaving a few eggs out in the sun for 3-4 weeks, then putting them back in the nest. Even better would be to relocate the chickens and replace them with a skunk...

I'll help out almost anyone who asks, but thieves piss me off!

Summerthyme
 
Ku Commando

Ku Commando

Inactive
Shooter said:
would a snake eat that many eggs every day? I think im gonna put one of my pyraneese in with the chickens
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That's one critter my GP's won't attack......they'll stand there and bark furiously till I come along.

I've rat snakes that eat my eggs on occasion.....they're good for the farm, so I just relocate them to the back fields.
 
adgal

adgal

Veteran Member
I had a raccoon steal eggs - but it also killed two of my hens. The raccoon is now past tense, We had to put a hook and eye with a clasp on the door because the raccoon could open the regular hook and eye. My girls will sometimes decide that they want to lay their eggs someplace else. (Easter egg hunt) So, I have to confine them to the smaller coop and run for a few days. My hens are molting too - but all four at the same time seems weird. ETA- make sure they are getting plenty of fresh water. That can cut down egg production too.
 
P

Publius

TB Fanatic
Shooter said:
for some reason my 4 chickens have stopped laying.all year since spring, been getting 3 or 4 eggs a day. last 5 days. no eggs at all. looked around there pen . nothing. what would make them all stop at the same time? weather has been in about the 85 to 90. they layed when it was hotter ,
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Bump and I like to hear what is taking the eggs.
 
ioujc

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
Also>>>>consider a homeless person who has gone into the woods for survival.

About a month ago I had one who was stealing all of my eggs on a daily basis and stealing a hen about twice a week. You may never see them>>>>I didn't until he left when he waved at me.....can't tell you how I know it was him, but I do.
 
Tessa

Tessa

Contributing Member
summerthyme said:
Oh, boy... Depending on the neighbors (if they were REALLY in need, I'd probably handle it differently), I'd get *really* creative. Things like leaving a few eggs out in the sun for 3-4 weeks, then putting them back in the nest. Even better would be to relocate the chickens and replace them with a skunk...

I'll help out almost anyone who asks, but thieves piss me off!

Summerthyme
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Summerthyme, I like the way you think!
It sure is a shame that people will steal food from a widow.
 
Shooter

Shooter

Veteran Member
been out there 6 times today, just came in. not a single egg

BUT, I have one hen whose a sitter, she sits on all the eggs, when Ijust went out, 3 of the chickens are crowded in a corner of the pen, and the setter is alone in the boxes.. I dont know if her not lettingthem in is the cause, but they usually lay them anywhere if they cant get into the boxes. I have no idea

is there a time when they usually lay eggs? I have no idea
 
V

vestige

Deceased
Shooter said:
been out there 6 times today, just came in. not a single egg

BUT, I have one hen whose a sitter, she sits on all the eggs, when Ijust went out, 3 of the chickens are crowded in a corner of the pen, and the setter is alone in the boxes.. I dont know if her not lettingthem in is the cause, but they usually lay them anywhere if they cant get into the boxes. I have no idea

is there a time when they usually lay eggs? I have no idea
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Crowded together indicates fear.
Something has been scaring them
 
West

West

Senior
Yeah, once shot a raccoon in the rafters of the goat barn. After I walked underneath it looking for any varmints. Didn't see it for over 10 minutes. Even our dog was trying to alert me to it. Finally looked up and put two threw its chest and the roof.
 
buttie

buttie

Veteran Member
In the fall when my birds laying starts to slow down, I'll give them beef tallow and the laying picks right back up. For a while any way.
 
Caplock50

Caplock50

I am the Winter Warrior
About what diameter are/were the eggs? About an inch and a half? And are your chickens in a pen or do let them 'free range'? How 'solid' is your hen house?

A 3 foot, and more, chicken snake can easily swallow 3 or 4 such sized eggs...and the hens would definately be afraid of it.
 
Caplock50

Caplock50

I am the Winter Warrior
buttie said:
In the fall when my birds laying starts to slow down, I'll give them beef tallow and the laying picks right back up. For a while any way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and when they start laying again, save the egg shells. Crunch them into real tiny 'flakes' and feed them to the chickens mixed with their regular feed. But make sure they are ground down really fine. If the flakes are big enough for them to recognize as egg shell pieces, eating them can turn them into 'cannibals'. The flakes need to be about as small as the diameter of a kitchen match. Doing that adds extra calcium to their diet. And since the hens 'made' the shells, they'll quite easily digest them. And that could be why they've stopped laying...they may be low in calcium. Worth a try.
 
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Shooter

Shooter

Veteran Member
well im confused. no eggs monday thru friday, went out today, and fluffy feathers all over, and 2 eggs, I have noidea what changed?
 
Walrus Whisperer

Walrus Whisperer

Hope in chains...
zeker said:
this is what I told my neighbour when she said

"my dogs didnt touch your birds"

1 dog disappeared shortly after her refusal to keep them home
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That's what's gonna happen the next time my neighbors dogs behind me come in my yard again. They get loose at least once a week.

I've noticed a slowdown in production, the sun is moving to fall and then winter mode, eggs get less and less. Happens every year.
 
L

LinuxFreakus

Contributing Member
My hens sometimes refuse to leave the hen house if there is heavy rain for multiple days, despite there being a roof over the whole area where the food and water are. Sometimes this leads to a couple days of fewer or no eggs at all until their pipeline fills up again. It takes a lot of food and water to produce eggs even though the chickens don't necessarily always need quite that much to live.
 
West

West

Senior
We're fortunately blessed (most the year) to have truely free range chickens that get at least half of their diet from bugs and grass/weed seeds. Plus some sneak over to the neighbors wild bird feeding station, plus our wild bird stations and the crumbs the dogs leave in their feeding stations.

Breaking even on feed cost, once we consider our egg consumption. Not to mention the dozen eggs the Naighbor gets once a week, in exchange for hunting and fishing rights on his 80 acres, priceless.

Just musing.
 
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