All hens stopped laying at same time, could it be weed killer????? Mystery!!!!

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Jenn83

Jenn83

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6 Years
May 31, 2013
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HI I am new to this site and came here in hopes for maybe some insight on what is going on with my hens. I have 3 hens and they all stopped laying about a month and a half ago. The only thing that I can think that is different is that my husband sprayed weed killer about a foot away from our fence line which is where the coop is. Could the weed killer have affected there laying or even sterilize them if that's possible? All 3 were laying great and they all stopped at the same time. It is spring and the weather has been typical Oregon weather. We did have a pretty warm spell about a month ago but 85 being the hottest which is odd for spring here but now the weather is normal and still no eggs. They are in a coop so they cant be hiding the eggs, they look completely healthy, I inspected them for mites etc. and nothing. They are not molting or broody either. Two of them are 3 and one is 7 and I know they can run out of eggs to lay but definitely not all at the same time. They get purina layena with oyster shells and all of our table scraps. This morning one of them was squawking like she was going to lay a egg and was on the nest box but came out with no egg. Till today they have not even been making the sounds like they needed to lay a egg. All of my neighbors hens are giving them plenty of eggs, its only mine that are having the issue. I just can not figure out what is going on and wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this before. It is a complete mystery to me!!!!
 
Could anyone be stealing the eggs?

If they were frightened by a predator at night that may do it...any stress can do it.

I have not heard of weed killer doing anything like that...but just so you know, you can use white vinegar to kill weeds (it takes about a week and doesn't work as strongly as the roundup but I use it instead of roundup around here).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/423023/why-arent-my-chickens-laying-here-are-your-answers/700
71 page thread

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Oh and I forgot- it is a good idea to treat the coop for mites every once in awhile (and the chickens) since they can be present and you not find them. Repeat in 7 days for mites and 14 days for lice. They can take a flock down (also inspect poo for worms). Examine your chickens for thinness and diarrhea (possible worms).
 
Thank you for your reply :) I know for sure nothing is stealing the eggs. I am home all day and can easily monitor them so I definitely know when that are going to lay a egg, they become very loud and that has not happened and I also check the nest box often. It might not be the round up but that is the only thing that has ever been different so that is the only thing I could think of. A couple nights ago we had a coyote and the fence and my hens were in there house. My dog was out and started barking and that's the only reason we knew it was there. It was still light out so we could see that it was a coyote. My dog is in the house at night so I guess it is possible it could just be coming to the fence and scaring the chickens for a while now. I never here the chickens get scared but maybe it because they are just keeping quiet in the coop. They are completely secure in there coop so there is no worries of anything getting in. They are perfectly healthy, combs are red and have healthy appetites. I might keep my dog out tonight and see if the coyote comes around again. I have just never ever had this happen and it is so strange to me, especially in spring.
 
I also talked with my local feed store about mites and worms and they said if that was the case they would look pretty poor if it was affecting their egg laying, I have not seen mites and do not see any worms in there poo and it looks normal. Maybe to be safe I will clean out there coop and treat it for mites, I have never done that what is the best way to do that?
 
My favorite is Ivomec-Eprinex pour on for cattle. If you havent wormed before though, you may want to start with a different wormer such as Wazine (2 week tossing for the eggs) then follow up with a treatment of eprinex 2 weeks after first dose. Eprinex is off label for chicken use, but many use it. It treats for a variety of worms as well s mites and lice. Its simple, few drops on back of neck (there are many posts on here for correct dosages) and easy to do at nght when they are roosting. Variety of opinions on if you need to toss the eggs with eprinex. Most will tell you to toss, but there is no withholding for cattle for either meat or milk. Also this is a product that is used for intestinal parasites on humans in africa. ;-)

You can add wood ash in a bin in the coop or run as well to allow them to dust bath and helps to prevent mites/lice.
 
Thank you for the info, we do have a fire pit out back so when I clean it I will dump the ashes in there coop. This is probably a stupid question but we have a briquette bbq, can I use those ashes or is the briquettes bad for them since they are also used with lighter fluid? I cant imagine it would be safe.
 

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