Egg quantity has dropped off

[racuda]

Have your Guineas started laying fewer egg lately? I was getting 17 per day, every day for two weeks. Now I'm getting 8. I don't know if they are laying in unknown nests or if they are simply laying fewer eggs.

 

[PeepsCA]

Mine are laying full bore, and they usually do until the weather gets hot here. Has anything stressed your Guineas out, like a predator attack or some change in their coop or run? Sometimes that can reduce egg production for a while. My guess is that they are laying elsewhere tho, lol. Keep them locked in for a day or 2 and see how many eggs you get, then you will know if they are laying somewhere else. My Guinea Hens gradually lay later and later each day until they skip a day and then they start over earlier the following day. (They don't all lay at the same time either).

 

[racuda]

No predator attacks or any changes that would stress them that I know of.

I have approx 35 Guineas, and I'm guessing 50% females, so the 17 eggs I was getting was probably all of them. 12 were in one nest in the coop and 5 were in a brush pile. Now it is 7 in the coop and 1 in the brush pile.

Only half of them roost in the coop, and the rest roost in a big oak tree. If I lock up half in the coop, then the others couldn't get in to lay.

I'll just have to follow them around this weekend.

 

[okdfarms]

just wondering, but is it time for your hens to just take a break? after 2 weeks of straight laying, maybe it would be time for a couple weeks off. they ain't leghorns, lol.

 

[PeepsCA]

Guineas don't take breaks from laying eggs without some underlying reason... except the big one, usually October thru January, lol (or if they go broody on a pile of eggs of course).

 

[okdfarms]

peeps, jmho, but my girls take a break after about 15-20 eggs or so. they might pretend to go broody -but as indeterminant layers, i think their ovaries just take a break. you are right of course that they totally stop laying in the fall.
i only have four hens, so it's easy to keep tract of what the girls are doing, day by day. might just be the benefit of having just a few birds.

 

[melroseladi]

I only have 2 hens, one has been laying since the end of March and the other laid her first egg yesterday. Sophia lays later each day then the day before and then when she lays in the late evening the next day she takes a day off, then starts the cycle all over again. She has only missed those few days but hasn't taken any extended time off so far.

 

[Aj1911]

mine tend to change their laying spot everytime i pick up the eggs

so look around maybe?

 

[racuda]

I found the new nest this morning with about 40 eggs in it. I took them all and left 7 marked eggs so hopefully they will continue to lay there.

The nest was just a depression in the leaves in the woods. All tlhe other nests I've seen have been under some sort of cover such as a bush or brush pile. This one is right out in the open.