9 hens, 1 roo, 5 pullets = NO EGGS! What the heck is going on???

[Mo'sMenagerie]

I have a similar situation and I still can't find a hidden nest... it must be horrible by now OR COULD my dogs be eating the eggs in a hidden nest when no one's around???

That sucks. I've heard folks say they have found snakes as the culprit! Although for me, I have sand in the coop and haven't seen any slither trails.

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Mine have stopped there usual laying. We had some wind but it the heat. 106 I have shade and plenty water. I give blue berries strawberries and cantaloupe. You name it. Oh and worms. Some people are getting eggs. I’m lucky if I get 3 out of 9.

You are a nice chicken parent. I use a bundt cake pan, sprinkle the bottom of it with oats, worms, fruit, and then fill it up with rooster booster water and then pop it out onto a plate. They LOVE it!

 

[Miss Valerie]

Any chance they have hidden nests? Any snakes or other possible egg eaters around? DH caught a bull snake swiping an egg just yesterday, here.

My first thought was nests outside b of pen especially if they free range.

 

[tophatter]

Ok, so egg production at my house is WAY down. I can't believe that for over a month now i've been getting days with no eggs or 1, or at most 3. The flock is healthy and fairly young (just took a couple to the vet and they got clean bills of health), they free-range on a fenced in acre, they have access to oyster shell and crushed egg shells for added calcium, I give them a treat of yogurt about 1x a week, and they've even been getting Layer Boost vitamins in their water which usually always gets them laying big time!. It's summertime, but temps have been in the 55-75 degree range, so not too hot. So why am I only getting 0-3 eggs a day????

Here are the only things I can think of that could be factors:

• a switch from Scratch n'Peck layer to Scratch n'Peck Grower feed with the addition of the 5 pullets to the flock about 5 weeks
• one broody hen has new chicks in a chicken tractor set up in my garden, separate from the main coop
• the month of June and July are 2 of the windiest times on record in my area (regular winds 15-25 mph, with occasional gusts 30-40mph)

Someone please, please, please tell me what I'm doing wrong here? Or what can I do to get my egg laying ladies back on the lay!?

I had a similar situation and found that I had a black snake.

 

[nao57]

I had a similar issue last summer and it turned out to be a combination of less light (I put a tarp on the run and it did it’s job a little too well) and hens eating their own eggs. Any chance the wind is causing them to spend more time inside where there’s less light but protection from the wind?

Are there any signals that can tell you if they are eating their own eggs?

There's no way I can be outside with them all day to check. So how do people know if this is going on?

 

[Evanloveschickens]

Hmmmm. Good idea, however they get mean with each other when I lock them up. I guess I could try it just worried they will beat up the pullets.

I have searched the yard over and over for places they could hide the eggs. We live in a big open area with only a single large elderberry tree and then some small scrubby bushes.I've checked all these areas with no sign of eggs.

Keep the pullets in a separate enclosure! They could be stressing the hens out!

 

[Evanloveschickens]

Are there any signals that can tell you if they are eating their own eggs?

There's no way I can be outside with them all day to check. So how do people know if this is going on?

Their beaks will have yolk and there will be cracked eggs.

 

[Mark Park]

Are there any signals that can tell you if they are eating their own eggs?

There's no way I can be outside with them all day to check. So how do people know if this is going on?

Broken egg shells, egg yolk in the nest box.

It's actually not all that common. Yours are probably not laying or someone is stealing them. If they are in prime egglaying age -- a few months to a year and a half old -- and they are gettingbplenty of food and water then it's either stress or someone's helping himself to your eggs. The stress can be from an infestation or disease or it can be rats or snakes or a dog or something similar.

 

[Evanloveschickens]

Broken egg shells, egg yolk in the nest box.

It's actually not all that common. Yours are probably not laying or someone is stealing them. If they are in prime egglaying age -- a few months to a year and a half old -- and they are gettingbplenty of food and water then it's either stress or someone's helping himself to your eggs. The stress can be from an infestation or disease or it can be rats or snakes or a dog or something similar.

By someone is helping himself to eggs do you refer to a human or a pest?

 

[Mark Park]

By someone is helping himself to eggs do you refer to a human or a pest?

A human