Entire flock abruptly stopped laying for no apparent reason, any ideas why?

[HEChicken]

My first thoughts were egg-eating and hidden nests but you have those covered. Predator scare? Maybe. Is it possible the eggs are being stolen? Either by an egg-eating predator (think snake(s)) or a 2-legged one? You might be able to put a lock on your coop to deter the latter. Game cam? Are you home during the day to check often or listen for the egg song? I do agree it is odd they would all cease laying at the same time. On the other hand....I knew that hens would stop laying for awhile after a major upheaval like a move across town or to a new coop. But on New Year's Eve I changed out the bedding on my BCM's favorite nest and she immediately quit laying and didn't start up again until mid-Feb. She was a new pullet to laying, having only started in Oct, and had laid consistently 3 on, 1 off from Oct until NYE. Since she resumed laying she is back to her old schedule of 3 on, 1 off. The ONLY thing that changed was the bedding in the nest box. So I know from first-hand experience that a change that seems innocuous to us can have a big impact on them - perhaps you changed something the day they stopped laying?

 

[Martine]

Hi there, Im new to the site, and I dont live in your area, in fact I am on the opposite side of the planet in South Africa. However what you are experiencing is also a problem here. There are times when for no apparent reason there are no eggs. I can only attribute it in my area to a fright they might have gotten with a hawk or a snake or a predator of some description.
With my breeds, Australorp and large soft feather mainly, I know it happens when they have had a fight with the cock. Dont laugh it happens!
They sulk for a few days and then return to normal. If they really dont like the sod because he is rough on them, i dont get eggs at all, or the eggs are broken , or I get unfertile eggs.
Girls will be girls!

 

[ceeceeholt]

I'm in North Alabama, just east of you. I too, went from 16 eggs a day to 1, then it has been going from 4 to 6 eggs a day. They were born a little later then yours, in April. The ones in another pen were born in August and just started laying and are doing good. This weather is weird and ours started when we have 3 nights in a row in the teens. I hope yours start back up soon as I do mine! So hoping its the weather.

 

[Henraiser]

Hallelujah! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

One of my girls finally layed an egg today! The first egg I have gotten since February 4. One of the Blue Andulisians finally did the deed. Now if she will just tell her girlfriends to get back to work!

For the record, I am still clueless about what has caused the abrupt stop and the continued strike. Hopefully the strike is about to end.

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

 

[mrkep]

I have been following this because my 11 Buckeyes, 20 months old, all hens, have also produced no eggs for 2 months. They started moltong in Nov., 2011, and production went from 9-10eggs / day to 3-5 per week. I thought it was because of molting and shorter, colder days. The molt is over, everyone looks good again. Early Jan there was a little egg, size of a nickle. since then, nothing. Temps here in central Ohio have been warmer than normal with occasional snow, then a warm up.. My run is completely enclosed, there is a light on a timer in the coop, and they are eating the same layer feed as always. They get lettuce and food scraps daily, I even tried the chili pepper for a week or 2.
My main purpose for chickens has been to help with composting the garden waste and fertilizer, but the fresh eggs were awful good side benifits. The weather should warm up , hope that turns the egg laying machine back on.
mrkep

 

[Nicole01]

Mine did this when they were not eating enough. I was giving them wet mash 2 times a day with dry food. I quit the mash and they ate much less. I spoiled my chickens with the mash. Therefore, less protein and nutrients.

I started the wet mash again and I'm getting 4-8 eggs in a day. I will not ever start wet mash with my second set of hens. I thought if they were hungry enough, they'd eat. Boy, was I wrong.

Also, they may stop laying if stressed. Maybe their food went bad?

 

[italk4aliving]

I have added a 5% Calf Mana to my feed and have not had any change in egg production. It seems to give that extra boost so the continue to produce eggs..

 

[Kaylie]

did your hens stsrt laying again?
My girls (5) abruptly stopped laying about a month ago and not one egg since. I live in the way north so at first I thought it was just short days and winter setting in, but we have had a mild winter so far and last year they were fine in winter. They hatched late March 2011. I am wondering if stress can cause this. I have two hens who took to pecking quite severly each other first and then all of them. Come this winter they stopped making the others partly bald, feathers grew back and they all stopped laying the same week. However they were good producers in summer when they were still getting pecked. Daylight length where I am in Bozeman Montana is about eight hours, so I keep the light on in the coop on a timer about 12 hours a day. Again egg production last year (their first year) during winter was fine. They don't like snow very much; they won't come out of the coop when the ground is white. But being a warm winter so far the ground has not been consistently white.
Would love any thoughts on this problem.

 

[Kaylie]

Hunger! This may be a reason. I have not had time for more than a month now to give them the sprouts and veggies I was growing for them. All year until recently I kept a consistent sprouting operation for them and gave them bean sprouts or other veggies from the garden daily. Once the garden was closed for winter, I did not have supply for them. I will start sprouting immediately and see if that makes the difference. We keep their feeder filled with Omega3 pellets and i give them scratch, but they were used to the abundance of fresh veggies and fruits from the garden.
Thanks, will let you know what happens.