All of the sudden, no eggs

[johnjenn2004]

I have six red sex links who are about one year old. They have been laying machines but all of the sudden on Wednesday, there are no eggs. I have checked several times a day and there is nothing. The first few days they were kept in their coop and run but last few days have been allowed to free range. Any ideas? I changed their bedding in the nesting boxes and it doesn't even look like it has been touched.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

Are they hiding the eggs somewhere?
Do you have an egg eater?
Have they been stressed recently?
Are there any parasites that could be bothering them?
Are they moulting?
Were you using artificial lighting over the winter?

 

[johnjenn2004]

Im not sure about an egg eater? Would they eat all six eggs shell and all? I have been checking a few times a day. We have had a huge storm and it has been raining since Wednesday which is why I let them out to free range and get out of the mud. They got a heat lamp only on cold cold nights but other than that had the same lighting without any pause in egg laying behavior. I dont know about parasites either. This is our first flock.

 

[sarahandjay]

Time for an egg hunt If you are still letting them free range watch and see where they are heading and let them lead you to the nest.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

You mentioned they are free ranging, is there anywhere they could hide the eggs? I know lots of people who just thought their flock was getting less productive only to discover a hidden mound of eggs!

As for parasites, check under the perches at night and see if there are any red bugs called mites. These can cause a lot of stress for the hens, stopping them from laying.

The weather may also affect it, but it's weird to get absolutely no eggs.

Do you live in an area that has snakes? They sometimes eat eggs.

As for egg eaters, the best thing you can do is put some golf balls in the nesting box. If there is an egg eater, that should discourage it.

 

[johnjenn2004]

I cleaned out coop yesterday and saw no mites at all but will do it again. I have scoured my yard which isnt very big to no avail but will try to follow them. I will also try the golf ball trick. Thanks for the advice. This forum has been incredibly helpful to me over this year.

 

[sarahandjay]

Good luck. And don't be surprised if you missed or walked right past a nest. I was literally next to one and didn't see. The next morning sat outside with my coffee and watched the girls head right out to the same spot. Just found one the other day by our log pile with about 15 eggs in it. Bad news is once I find one nest they leave that one and make another one somewhere new lol. At least my kids like to hunt for them especially this time of year because they are getting practice in for the Easter eggs hunts at their grandparents