free ranging girls, and i can't find their eggs :-/

[danaalex]

this started a week or so ago. they all stopped laying in the nesting boxes...... i found 4 random eggs throughout the yard and since then haven't found anymore. i have 8 hens that i KNOW are laying. i just can't figure out WHERE! it's a bit frustrating. part of me thinks that i have a critter that is stealing the eggs which is why i can't find them. since i don't know where they are laying it's hard to prove that! none are broody and it hasn't been so hot ( except a couple of days this week) that they would ALL stop laying.

i've thought about keeping the layers locked up in the pen for a week. what do you think?

 

[Judy]

That's probably what I would do, as long as they can get outdoors and have shade and breeze for the heat. This is definitely the time of year for snakes to steal eggs -- voice of experience here.

 

[danaalex]

they can get outside, but where their pen is there isn't much shade..... i am going to work on enlarging the pen this weekend and that will end up enclosing a shady area.

i hadn't even thought about snakes! i know i get them in my yard from time to time. blah. i'm going to search the yard again today and then tomorrow start penning the girls that are laying.

thanks!

 

[five is my dog]

keep them in the pen until the eggs are all in the box. i normally wait until 1 or 2 to let them free range