- Sep 14, 2010
- 178
- 8
- 101
Hi all! I am so confused...I've got 8 laying hens/pullets and up to a few weeks ago, I'd been getting around 5 eggs a day. Now I get 2 if I'm lucky. I have dusted the hens for mites, they are not broody, etc etc, so I'm fairly certain they are healthy layers. I have heard and seen them making the egg song, only to find no eggs later. I'd find it kind of suspicious if all of them decided to take a break all at once, but maybe?
I thought perhaps they were eating their own eggs, but I see no sign of shell or yolk anywhere in their bedding, and when I put an egg in the middle of the coop floor and left them alone with it while watching, all they did was try to move it slightly to sit on it. A mustard and pepper-filled decoy egg WAS eaten completely by something though.
I'm wondering now if a predator is getting the eggs and carrying them away? I can see what feels like mole tunnels going around and under the coop, but see no evidence of anything getting inside. My floor is made of concrete paving blocks, covered in sheet vinyl, so they'd have to work pretty hard to dig in. But...predators could go in through the pop door, of course. The coop is about 20 feet from my back door, and is pretty visible all day, and I've never seen any predators around except for the occasional hawk and my neighbor's cat. But, I've got the hens in a fenced off backyard and although I'm sure it's not predator-proof, it would deter them.
I am flummoxed. Ideas, anyone?
Thanks!
Angela
I thought perhaps they were eating their own eggs, but I see no sign of shell or yolk anywhere in their bedding, and when I put an egg in the middle of the coop floor and left them alone with it while watching, all they did was try to move it slightly to sit on it. A mustard and pepper-filled decoy egg WAS eaten completely by something though.
I'm wondering now if a predator is getting the eggs and carrying them away? I can see what feels like mole tunnels going around and under the coop, but see no evidence of anything getting inside. My floor is made of concrete paving blocks, covered in sheet vinyl, so they'd have to work pretty hard to dig in. But...predators could go in through the pop door, of course. The coop is about 20 feet from my back door, and is pretty visible all day, and I've never seen any predators around except for the occasional hawk and my neighbor's cat. But, I've got the hens in a fenced off backyard and although I'm sure it's not predator-proof, it would deter them.
I am flummoxed. Ideas, anyone?
Thanks!
Angela
