Chickens stop laying

[Heather67]

I have a group of 15 hens in the DFW area of Texas. They are 9 months of age (1 groups) and 18 months (the other group). Starting in April they have all stopped laying. I went form 10 eggs a day to 2. Some days just one egg. I have the, on 20% protein feed and nothing has changed. They do not have worms(i have combed through heir poop). I'm frustrated and worried as what to could be going on.

 

[DobieLover]

I have a group of 15 hens in the DFW area of Texas. They are 9 months of age (1 groups) and 18 months (the other group). Starting in April they have all stopped laying. I went form 10 eggs a day to 2. Some days just one egg. I have the, on 20% protein feed and nothing has changed. They do not have worms(i have combed through heir poop). I'm frustrated and worried as what to could be going on.

Do they free range?

 

[Heather67]

They do. I thought they were free ranging so much that they weren't eating enough layer pellets so i cut back and it got worse on the egg laying.

 

[wyoDreamer]

If they are free-range, they may have a hidden nest somewhere.
Is there something upsetting them, like a nightly raccoon at the fence or neighbor dogs visiting. That can make them stop also.

 

[DobieLover]

They do. I thought they were free ranging so much that they weren't eating enough layer pellets so i cut back and it got worse on the egg laying.

It's well past Easter and you get to go on an egg hunt! Lucky you!!

 

[Heather67]

We haven't found any secret stash and we have combed the property. I have no idea whats going on. Especially with my older girls they are amazing layers!

 

[DobieLover]

We haven't found any secret stash and we have combed the property. I have no idea whats going on. Especially with my older girls they are amazing layers!

You'll need to follow them. They have to have a stash somewhere. Good laying hens that have free range access can and will find a new place to lay and the others will follow suit.
Someone once said that they had looked "everywhere" only to finally find the stash under their shed. There were A LOT of eggs under it.

 

[Heather67]

I just looked again and the only place i can't see is under the shed. We have looked before but will get a flashlight bc its too dark to tell. Plus I will make my son do it lol. Thank you all so much for your suggestions.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The main reason chickens stop laying is the molt. Don't hit me yet please, let my finish. I know where you are and the time of the year. As unlikely as that sounds they can go through a mini-molt at any time. Usually stress triggers it. I know you said nothing has changed but did they go through a day or two without water, have a predator attack, or something like that. Were you extending the lights to get them to lay through the winter and turn the lights off, that can shorten their day and start a molt. Or did a security light go out? Have you seen extra feathers flying around?

As others mentioned, hiding a nest is fairly common. For the numbers to drop like that just from them hiding a nest or two seems like a stretch but maybe. When that happens it's usually a small number of hens. Can't totally rule it out.

It's possible something is getting the eggs. Most critters leave some trace behind, egg shells or a gooey mess. It's possible the hens are cleaning up the egg shells but it's unlikely they would eat that many. Have you felt in the nests to see if there are any wet spots? In spite of what you might read, it is very possible skunks, raccoons, and even a possum can come any time, day or night. You can never rule anything out, I guess it's possible one could be coming by after most of the eggs are being laid and eating them, but the way they open the shells is a clue as to which one it is. These are way down on my list of possibilities, even if your schedule allowed it.

The typical critters that take eggs and leave no evidence are snakes, canines, and humans. I don't think it is snakes, I've dealt with them. A snake takes a few eggs (how many depends on her size) then disappears for two or three days to digest them before coming back for more. A 5' rat snake took four at a time for example. What you describe is too regular to be a snake.

A fox or coyote would probably be more interested in the chickens than the eggs, so it is unlikely to be them. But a dog might learn to eat eggs and not bother the chickens. It doesn't have to be your dog. Is that a possibility?

There have been posts on here where someone did something like this as a practical joke, if that's the case you have my permission to take vengeance, no permanent scars please. I know it is creepy to think of someone stealing your eggs but consider it.

Can you lock your hens in the coop or coop and run for a couple of days, see if the egg count goes up? If the count goes up, that means they are either hiding a nest or that you locked something out that was taking the eggs.

Since it has been a few weeks, if you look at a hen's vent you can tell is she is laying or about to lay, not how much she is laying. If a hen has a small tight dry vent she is not laying. If it is soft, large, and moist she is laying or real close to it. If you see a few it is petty easy to tell the difference. Taking them off the roost at night is a good time to check.

Under the shed is a great hiding place, hopefully that solves your problem.

 

[SueT]

I found a hidden nest last week, behind some junk in a shed. I have since restricted free ranging to late afternoons and when they are out, I am spending time spying on them, listening for egg songs in the distance. There is a poultry swap in 10 days, and I am just about ready to take some of the renegades there.