Chickens Stopped Laying Randomly!?

[Cluckerzfamilyfarm]

Ok if you didnt find an egg anywhere then I am interested to learn what is going on. The molting hen, That's makes sense. But the others.?. My family and I hope all is well.

 

[Kfults]

 

[Cluckerzfamilyfarm]

Haha

 

[RodNTN]

Hi folks! So I made it home today. I looked high and low for eggs. Under everything I could look under. No eggs in sight! They seemed extremely happy to see their mama! I did notice one of my girls is molting but the rest seem normal. If I get eggs soon, I will let you know!

That's very strange, were they laying eggs before you left?

 

[crazychickenlady95]

Guys! I had 3 eggs this morning!

Today is the fourth day that I've been home. I've discovered that one of my hens is molting but the rest (9) are not. I checked everywhere for any predator signs, made sure nothing is spooking them, and triple checked they could not be getting out of their area and laying in the yard.

With that being said, I can only determine it was one or two things. Either my chickens have an emotional connection with me and they missed me (I would love to think this is true!!) OR they just did not like having a stranger come take care of them every day and it stressed them out. Either way, I got 3 eggs this morning out of nowhere!

What an odd thing to happen just because I went out of town. Thoughts?

 

[crazychickenlady95]

That's very strange, were they laying eggs before you left?

Yes they were! 8 to 10 eggs daily.

 

[RollTideChicken]

Can a snake get to the nest boxes? One snake can eat quite a few eggs and pretty quickly. I caught one once that had 4 in her and she was working on the golf ball when I found her, so she might have eaten more. Just a thought...

 

[Nardo]

Guys! I had 3 eggs this morning!

Today is the fourth day that I've been home. I've discovered that one of my hens is molting but the rest (9) are not. I checked everywhere for any predator signs, made sure nothing is spooking them, and triple checked they could not be getting out of their area and laying in the yard.

With that being said, I can only determine it was one or two things. Either my chickens have an emotional connection with me and they missed me (I would love to think this is true!!) OR they just did not like having a stranger come take care of them every day and it stressed them out. Either way, I got 3 eggs this morning out of nowhere!

What an odd thing to happen just because I went out of town. Thoughts?

Mine get stressed if things get moved or if there is a new loud sound or something that scares them. Maybe your house guest was, without meaning any harm, startling them or trying to round them up in a way that stressed them out. We went out of town and my buddy didn't understand that they would go up when it got dark and not before. So he spent a lot of time and frustration chasing them around trying to herd them into the coop when he was ready to go in for the night. They hated him and quit laying. Until we came back and they calmed down again. Shrug.

 

[Cluckerzfamilyfarm]

Emotional attachment to you. That's something to be proud of. Happy to hear they are doing well

 

[RodNTN]

Yes they were! 8 to 10 eggs daily.

I guess the only thing to do is wait till you get back to see what's going on.