The layers are all one year old. I cannot recall anything happening on the 16th. Of course, there could of been a predator around that spooked them that I wasn't aware of.
Thanks for the replies. I haven't seen any signs of molting. I also haven't found any signs of parasites. All of them appear healthy.
I day range my chickens, but a few days ago, concerned they were laying eggs elsewhere, I kept them fenced in until later in the afternoon - same lackluster egg...
Hello,
I've seen a huge drop in egg production, beginning 3 weeks ago, but really spiking 7 days ago.
Here are the numbers.
Daily egg production for the last 12 days:
Weekly egg production for the last 8 weeks:
My hens are 1 year old (as of today, 373 days old).
The only thing I can...
In general, the more dangerous times for predators are in the early morning and later evening. For foxes, everything I've heard suggests that once they find food in a place, they'll come back to that place for more.
Sounds like it's been a while since you've had chickens on the property, so...
There's a rule of thumb - sorta more of an answer to a question that gets asked a lot so people can stop trying to legitimize one answer over another - of I think 1 nest for every 3 or 4 hens.
I've got 6 nests set up for mine, as it seemed to take up about the right amount of space in my coop...
Knowing your location would help, as would the breeds of chickens.
I'd recommend forgetting about the heat lamps. Just risk of fire, without much benefit to the chickens.
I get by with 1 feeder and 1 waterer, both hanging tube style, and both large; 5 gallon waterer, and I think a 40 lb...
Here's a good article from @Beekissed on the topic:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/bees-key-points-to-successful-and-safe-free-ranging.65895/
You'll read on here a lot about people who have had no issues with predators until they do, often a couple years into things.
I believe that dogs do help deter a lot of predators, whether they're trained or inclined to protect the flock or not.
Mixed bag on the wooded areas. They provide some...
Sorry - wasn't my intention to suggest you were! The article I linked to had a lot of info on medicated feed before it got to the part that talked about treatment.
I just read that post this morning. Excellent post.
Scroll down in this article to where it says "How to treat Coccidiosis?"
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coccidiosis-how-to-treat-it.64386/
You are NOT interested in getting them on medicated feeds. That is intended to prevent it. You've (probably) got it. You're going to try to cure it.
Are you using nest eggs? (Fake eggs in the nest) That might help.
I let mine free range, and have been pleased to not find (yet) instances of them laying outside. It's a risk, of course.
They probably are. If you haven't yet, observe them and wait to see at least one take a drink.
To be sure everything's alright, change the water daily. You may try adding another container too, just in case something is off about the one you're using now.
Check out this article:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/
I've seen that on occasion, along with other issues. So long as I'm not seeing issues routinely, I don't worry much.
If it becomes a regular thing, you can look into some of the listed causes.
If you have a hen that is broody, you can try that.
As far as what breeds you'll get, they'll a mix between whatever breed your rooster is, and the hen that layed the egg.
Hawks will know where food is available, and continue to look for food there. If you haven't seen him in a few days, don't worry, he or she will be back.
I just take it for granted that they'll be by, looking for a meal.
My chickens are good at watching for them, sounding the alarm and taking...
Yep, the eggs are fine to eat. So long as you're collecting them daily, you shouldn't ever have any issues.
Someone else can chime in with how long it takes an egg to develop to the point you could tell, but it's a while.
Thinking about it, I'd adjust the number of eggs expected each day down a bit. Probably more like a 70% daily lay rate, so 7 eggs per day for every 10 hens, and it will take them several weeks to get up to that.
I think it will be more a matter of how much ground is covered by that strange white stuff, and for how long, rather than how cold it gets. Mine were not willing to walk on the snow most of last winter. Some chickens do; think it's largely a matter of them deciding it's safe and not too...