Chicken behavior and egg laying changed

[juliejohnson805]

I have a mixed flock of 16 hens and 1 rooster. I usually get 12-15 eggs a day. They usually stay in in run until around 3:00 and then free range until dark. Sometimes they get to free range all day. I've never had a problem with them not laying in their nesting boxes. This week things have changed. When we go out to lock up run there are hens roosting in the run numbers vary from 3-6. Egg production is down some but one day there were only 2 eggs in boxes with 1 being broken. Found 1 in the yard that day. This morning found one on seat of tractor. We have checked throughly for a snake or other critters and see no evidence of either. My group is almost 2 years old. We haven't added to flock or changed anything. They have ample room in coop to roost. Only other animals are 2 very docile dogs and 4 Pekin ducks. The ducks free range and do not get in run or coop area.
Any thoughts?

 

[chickens really]

Are any moulting?....Possibly need to retrain then to the coop and nest boxes?....Have a stash hidden?

 

[kaumlauf]

I live in northern Pennsylvania, and am having the same problem. I have 5 hens (2 are 3 yrs old) and one has a duckling that she hatched and is now raising, and 5 female ducks and a male duck. The ducks and hens have always been good layers. Lately, (the past 2-3 weeks) there have been very few eggs. We did a family of skunks, living under the wood shed, eating all the eggs but we trapped 4 skunks (the mother is still out there), and I check the yard frequently throughout the day, and have not seen a skunk or snake. The 1/2 acre poultry yard /meadow they inhabit has an electrified 4' fence around it. They get layer pellets, oyster shells, plenty of water and forage in the grass for bugs and greens. I am wondering if the skunk presence has affect their laying behavior. Any thoughts out there? Also, the days have been hotter than usual- 80-82 degrees.

 

[jolly wattles]

Having the same issue. Mine is due to a snake that likes to hang out in the coop. Time to get rid of it.

 

[juliejohnson805]

They are not molting. It has been pretty hot here lately oh how I would love 80-82 degrees for a few days! @kaumlauf I'm going to totally clean out the coop this weekend and check the girls for mites. Otherwise at a lost....

 

[aart]

I have a mixed flock of 16 hens and 1 rooster. I usually get 12-15 eggs a day. They usually stay in in run until around 3:00 and then free range until dark. Sometimes they get to free range all day. I've never had a problem with them not laying in their nesting boxes. This week things have changed. When we go out to lock up run there are hens roosting in the run numbers vary from 3-6. Egg production is down some but one day there were only 2 eggs in boxes with 1 being broken. Found 1 in the yard that day. This morning found one on seat of tractor. We have checked throughly for a snake or other critters and see no evidence of either. My group is almost 2 years old. We haven't added to flock or changed anything. They have ample room in coop to roost. Only other animals are 2 very docile dogs and 4 Pekin ducks. The ducks free range and do not get in run or coop area.
Any thoughts?

Great post with all the details, kudos!
I'm betting that it's due to molting.
Molting bird can tend to roost separately to avoid the chaos and crush on their tender new pin feathers. Funky eggs can also happen as they slow laying before the molt.
I'd examine birds thoroughly for pin feathers and possible external parasites.

ETA: molting has to do with the shortening daylight, not temperature.

 

[juliejohnson805]

Having the same issue. Mine is due to a snake that likes to hang out in the coop. Time to get rid of it.

Does he come and go or stay there? We have only had 1 chicken snake found in the coop. He was bedded up under nesting boxes full of eggs that were about to hatch
My coop is off the ground.

 

[jolly wattles]

Does he come and go or stay there? We have only had 1 chicken snake found in the coop. He was bedded up under nesting boxes full of eggs that were about to hatch
My coop is off the ground.

I believe he stays under the coop most the time then enters the coop during the day. We've had many snakes but this one (Sylvester ) won't go away. I usually don't mess with the good snakes but this one is becoming a nuisance.

 

[juliejohnson805]

I believe he stays under the coop most the time then enters the coop during the day. We've had many snakes but this one (Sylvester ) won't go away. I usually don't mess with the good snakes but this one is becoming a nuisance.

We usually leave them alone or relocate too. This one though made the mistake of eating my soon-to-hatch babies. We also were afraid that once they found the eggs they would come back. He was huge almost 6 feet!

 

[jolly wattles]

We usually leave them alone or relocate too. This one though made the mistake of eating my soon-to-hatch babies. We also were afraid that once they found the eggs they would come back. He was huge almost 6 feet!

I usually don't relocate animals I catch.
It's not recommended and could be illegal in your area. They could return or upset the balance in the area you release including introducing a disease into that area. Or you could be making it someone else's problem. I usually dispatch of them.