Hens stopped laying with Rooster Gone

[Clothilde]

Has anyone noticed that their hens stop laying when their rooster is removed from the flock?

My 2 and 1 year old hens were always great layers. They have always lived with a rooster or two in the coop. Now there is no rooster and the hens stopped laying the minute he left. I have 5 barred rocks, 2 red stars and 4 marans. Fortunately the coop is completely enclosed because there are many predators, especially red tailed hawks, in the area. I also noticed that the hawks actually sit on top of the wire over the coop. This never happened while a rooster was there. Can it be that the hens are stressed because of the hawk and the fact that their protector is gone. Any advice?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Since the hawks are sitting right on the wire above them they are getting stressed and probably don’t feel safe without the rooster to keep the hawks away. That is probably why their egg production has decreased.

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed, it could be a stress reaction.