JennCloke
Hatching
Hi y'all,
My Easter Eggers have stopped laying after laying a little sluggishly for the summer! All my other birds are laying around 2 eggs every 3 days.
Here are my details: I've got a mixed laying flock of 14 hens (Austrolorps, Buff Orpintons, RIRs, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and "Easter Eggers") and two roosters. They live in a 8'x12' coop within a fenced in pasture--they're on pasture with access to the henhouse all day. I built their coop pretty much up to residential building code (because I like only having to do things once), so I don't think a predator is getting into the coop. They have layer pellets, free choice oyster shells, and all the grit they can pick off the ground. Fresh water in the shade, of course, and the occasional damaged veggies from the garden and meat scraps from the butcher block (bear meat and sheep organs at this point). No signs of molting yet, and I checked their vents--all look wide and soft.
My suspicion is that they're laying somewhere in the pasture and some critter is getting to the eggs before I can. Are there any other possibilities I could be missing? Anything in my set up throw up a red flag?
Thanks!
My Easter Eggers have stopped laying after laying a little sluggishly for the summer! All my other birds are laying around 2 eggs every 3 days.
Here are my details: I've got a mixed laying flock of 14 hens (Austrolorps, Buff Orpintons, RIRs, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and "Easter Eggers") and two roosters. They live in a 8'x12' coop within a fenced in pasture--they're on pasture with access to the henhouse all day. I built their coop pretty much up to residential building code (because I like only having to do things once), so I don't think a predator is getting into the coop. They have layer pellets, free choice oyster shells, and all the grit they can pick off the ground. Fresh water in the shade, of course, and the occasional damaged veggies from the garden and meat scraps from the butcher block (bear meat and sheep organs at this point). No signs of molting yet, and I checked their vents--all look wide and soft.
My suspicion is that they're laying somewhere in the pasture and some critter is getting to the eggs before I can. Are there any other possibilities I could be missing? Anything in my set up throw up a red flag?
Thanks!
