chickens flaking on the job

[joanbrooks]

ok i have 4 hens and a rooster that were all raised together. This is their second year with me, but i think rooster is a bit older, anyway they have not laid eggs in 5 days. they are getting supplements have their smorgasbord of grasshoppers( which they are not eating),i let them out in the morning and basically they are under the trees all day long just digging up what is left of my flowers that i have not closed off from them. yes we have hawks and buzzards , but have never bothered them that i know of. my grasshoppers are getting out of control, that is the main reason i got these guys. always looking for handouts, i quit that as they weren't eating the bugs. now they are still not eating the bugs. not been real hot here so don't think that is the problem. if i leave them in their area for the day they still don't lay. they have 2 big fans to keep them cool and food and water . i am at a loss to know what to do. they follow me around when i am cutting grass but like i said for the most part they are under the trees. i am beginning to think they have hawk phobia.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Could they be in molt?

 

[joanbrooks]

i really have not seen that. kinda freeked me out when i saw them do it last year. but they have already done it once this year and i got the feather fixer from nutrogena and it helped, i am just really frustrated watching the hoppers eat all my trees(young trees) and my plants it rains grasshoppers when i walk into the yard, but i will watch them more closely. not alot of naked places on the chickens nor feathers around like it was last molt

 

[SunHwaKwon]

If you want something for grasshoppers, turkeys and guineas are great, and they won't dig up your plants!

 

[joanbrooks]

i am really thinkin of gettin them. but what about coyotes? the chickens go up in their pen every nite will the guineas or turkeys?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

i am really thinkin of gettin them. but what about coyotes? the chickens go up in their pen every nite will the guineas or turkeys?

They can sleep in a coop or in the trees, whichever you train them to do. Right now it's so hot my turkeys want to sleep outside so I built them high roosts in my run so they're still protected. Just know, guineas can be pretty loud!