Eggs going missing?

[Crococriles]

I have seven hens and one roo, three of which started laying a week ago. I've been collecting the eggs from the nests. But for the last two days, I haven't been able to find two of my brown eggs. They have a coop that used to be a horse stall and their chicken run is about an eighth of an acre. There's like three bushes in there I've looked all around in to see if they decided to lay there but I haven't found any. I don't think chickens skip laying two days in a row, do they??

 

[LittleMissCountry]

My black sex link laid sporadically for the first week and a half, skipping multiple days. My buff orp started laying last week, and so far has had two days go by since her last egg. She laid three days in a row (2 soft shell) and then nothing for two days.

 

[Susan12]

They might especially if it's hot.

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

If it's really hot, my girls are not consistent with laying eggs. It's been pretty hot here in Georgia lately.

 

[Crococriles]

If it's really hot, my girls are not consistent with laying eggs. It's been pretty hot here in Georgia lately.

Okay, that could be possible. I live in the far nw corner of Florida, it's been pretty close to 90°. As long as skipping days isn't too weird, especially for their age, I think I'll be okay. I've mostly just been worrying about if they'd crawled into the super thorny blackberry bush to lay.

 

[aart]

There's like three bushes in there I've looked all around in to see if they decided to lay there but I haven't found any. I don't think chickens skip laying two days in a row, do they??

They might with being new layers and the heat....but.....more likely, you just haven't found their 'hidden' nest.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

..or some folks use fake eggs to keep birds laying where they can find the eggs.

 

[Crococriles]

They might with being new layers and the heat....but.....more likely, you just haven't found their 'hidden' nest.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

..or some folks use fake eggs to keep birds laying where they can find the eggs.

Yeah, we've left them locked up for a solid month at least when my grandpa had a stroke in Colorado, so they've definitely got that down, and we do have fake eggs in the nests. They've all laid in there before.

 

[aart]

Yeah, we've left them locked up for a solid month

How long ago was that?

 

[Crococriles]

How long ago was that?

A few weeks ago.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I'm thinking there's a hidden nest somewhere ...