July 4th we woke up to 9 eggs and had a delicious breakfast. The next day we only got two eggs. Since then- none! What's going on?
Do they free range? Can they be hiding their eggs? Are they new layers? - new layers often take a while to get up to speed on production. Is it horribly hot? Excessive heat will slow production Do you have an egg thief? All kinds of pests will eat and steal eggs - snakes and rats are two of the more common ones that will do so without harming the hens. Sometimes you'll get an egg eating hen too, but usually there is evidence left behind at the scene - ie sticky mess, shell bits, etc.
thanks for the quick reply! Yes they are new layers. How long between the first eggs to the next batch? How long does it take before they are regular layers? I have two chicken tractors (6 hens in each) that I move daily so that they can free range. While it is hot, they are covered with open sides so I wouldn't think they would be miserable from the heat. As far as preds. hmmm... could be but it is pretty hard to get in the tractor.
Did you have lots of fireworks? Some ppl don't get many eggs after the 4th b/c the fireworks have spoked the hens.
My girls got their beaks out of joint when I switched their brand of laying pellets, quit laying till I switched back....talk about spoiled!