9 to 14 eggs daily to 0 overnight

[Susan1970]

I have 2 chicken runs. The chickens are separate. We have a variety of chickens in each run. In the last week one pen has gone from 9 to 14 eggs per day to none, overnight.
The runs are side by side and share a wall (chicken wire). The left side has had no change in laying pattern, but the right side simply stopped. We gathered 12 eggs one day and not another egg in days.
We have checked to see if they are burying them and removed all loose soil. There doesn't seem to be any evidence of them eating the eggs, and we have not had that behavior since we started.
The chickens seem fine and healthy. Food and water is always supplied and consumption has been normal. As for predators it is always possible, but if so they have not touched the chickens.
Any ideas?

 

[sourland]

Have there been any husbandry changes in that pen. Usually such a dramatic cessation in laying is a result of feed or water deprivation.

 

[Mrs. K]

When I have a drop like that, it has always been a hidden nest. They can be tricky to find. Just sit out there with a cup of coffee, mid morning and wait. They will show you where it is.

Mrs K

 

[Susan1970]

Have there been any husbandry changes in that pen. Usually such a dramatic cessation in laying is a result of feed or water deprivation.

There have been zero changes. Fresh water and food provided daily. A good variety of food. Scratch, laying pellets, laying crumbles and fresh vegetable scraps, usually from the garden. No new chickens, none removed. Waterers cleaned. Food dispensers cleaned. As per usual. These chickens are young. The oldest is 20 months, the youngest is 9 months. No difference in feces, nothing. Also, they have access to oyster shell as well as ground quartz (separately offered).

 

[Susan1970]

When I have a drop like that, it has always been a hidden nest. They can be tricky to find. Just sit out there with a cup of coffee, mid morning and wait. They will show you where it is.

Mrs K

There is no place for a hidden nest. The run and coop are easy to scan. We have seen them bury eggs before, either in the nesting material or in loose scratched up dirt/sand (as we have sandy soil here in the Sandhill region of NC). Hence the reason we removed all loose soil. We checked all nesting materials and changed it out. Some lay in the coop/box my husband made for them with roosts. Some lay in Totes that we made for laying, it was an idea we got from a member and works well. You take a medium sized tote, follow the directions with a folded piece of printer paper (according to instructional video) for template for door cut out, place bedding of choice (hay, laying mats, etc) and make a nest pad at the bottom and replace the lid so they have privacy to lay eggs, and they took to it right away. It is a good summer solution and even in winter given it is 73 today. They enjoy the boxes and as chickens will commonly do, they tend to decide which tote is best and most use the same three or 4 totes. The enclosures, coops, whatever you would like to call them are pretty open and easy to see every part. We have searched the entire area. They are allowed to wander some days so they can get bugs, fresh greens in the yard, but only in temporary enclosures so there is no place for hidden nests. And they rarely lay when out of the coop on these occasions. Each chicken lays at a particular time of day and we generally work these "field trip" times when no one is due to lay. Once in a while you find a random egg not in a nest, or enclosure, just laying in the middle of the coop. Usually it has been kicked out by the next chicken who went in to lay, but this is rare.
So, no changes in diet, water, new chickens, etc. Just suddenly no eggs. We cannot see any signs of predation. None. Usually in the past (different chickens, diffent house, etc.) if a snake were going for the eggs it was able to get in, but not out through the wire with a full tummy. Also, with such sandy soil and the scratching the chickens do which keeps the surface of the dirt quite fluffy a snake trail is easy to spot.
The coops are enclosed on all sides including the top. So No way for mammal predators. I had to kill a possum once and decided to make the coop even more secure, no problems since, that was before any chickens began to lay, approximately one year ago. Since, no problems of that nature.

 

[CoopBoots]

Not an expert, just things I might try if this was happening to my girls. Excuse if I'm repeating stuff already ruled out:

1. Vent checks (there's good descriptions of this around the site) to see if they exhibit obvious cessation of lay
2. Dummy & "bait" eggs to watch. Do they disappear?
3. General hen watching as possible. Anyone going into boxes at all?
4. If you have a roo, is he interested in the girls or no?
5. I think molt was already ruled out but just putting it here for completeness sake
6. Mite/lice checks, general health
7. Maybe a coop cam. Is something giving them a scare when you aren't around or overnight?