- Oct 21, 2013
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Hi Everyone!
I'd love some feedback and advice about a little puzzle with my chickens.
Background: I have three almost 2 year-old Black Copper Marans in the Fingerlakes area of Upstate New York. They have a small comfy coop with a roost, lighting on a 14-hour timer, and a nesting box and and an enclosed/predator proof-run. There's an automatic door on the coop, hooked up to a timer that lets them in and out twice a day.
So here's the situation: About three weeks ago, I left for a week and my neighbors were supposed to check in on them. . . but they totally forgot. Weather was briefly in the 30s but dipped into the single digits for most of the week. I'd left out a lot (3-4 days) of feed for them and filled their giant heated dog bowl with water before I left, but suffice it to say when I got back 95% of the food and water were gone. While all three birds appear to be totally fine, there were no eggs to be found in their coop, and I (sadly) discovered the remnants of egg shells/yolks in their bedding.
Before I left they'd been laying fairly reliably about 2-3 eggs a day. Now that I've returned, and of course resumed feeding and watering them regularly, I have only had 2 eggs: 1 in the nest box, and one laid outside the door of the coop, over the course of 10 days. Over the three day weekend, I checked their coop and faces every 2 hours, and found no evidence of egg eating, but after reading online, am convinced I might simply be missing it. I should also mention that it has been between 10 to -10 degrees here for the last 2 weeks. . . though it was my understanding that cold shouldn't impact laying too much. Because of the extreme cold, I put some straw down over their woodshavings in their coop.
So that's the situation. Have they stopped laying because of the cold? Because of the trauma of being left for 7 days without food/care? Because I changed their bedding? Or are they laying, but managing to eat their eggs without me catching them?
Any help would be so appreciated!!
I'd love some feedback and advice about a little puzzle with my chickens.
Background: I have three almost 2 year-old Black Copper Marans in the Fingerlakes area of Upstate New York. They have a small comfy coop with a roost, lighting on a 14-hour timer, and a nesting box and and an enclosed/predator proof-run. There's an automatic door on the coop, hooked up to a timer that lets them in and out twice a day.
So here's the situation: About three weeks ago, I left for a week and my neighbors were supposed to check in on them. . . but they totally forgot. Weather was briefly in the 30s but dipped into the single digits for most of the week. I'd left out a lot (3-4 days) of feed for them and filled their giant heated dog bowl with water before I left, but suffice it to say when I got back 95% of the food and water were gone. While all three birds appear to be totally fine, there were no eggs to be found in their coop, and I (sadly) discovered the remnants of egg shells/yolks in their bedding.
Before I left they'd been laying fairly reliably about 2-3 eggs a day. Now that I've returned, and of course resumed feeding and watering them regularly, I have only had 2 eggs: 1 in the nest box, and one laid outside the door of the coop, over the course of 10 days. Over the three day weekend, I checked their coop and faces every 2 hours, and found no evidence of egg eating, but after reading online, am convinced I might simply be missing it. I should also mention that it has been between 10 to -10 degrees here for the last 2 weeks. . . though it was my understanding that cold shouldn't impact laying too much. Because of the extreme cold, I put some straw down over their woodshavings in their coop.
So that's the situation. Have they stopped laying because of the cold? Because of the trauma of being left for 7 days without food/care? Because I changed their bedding? Or are they laying, but managing to eat their eggs without me catching them?
Any help would be so appreciated!!
