- Feb 11, 2012
- 13
- 0
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Situation:
Flock Size: 15 (all hens)
Age: Hatched March 26, 2011 - 10.5 months old
Breed makeup: 5 White Rock, 4 Blue Andalusian, 6 barred rocks
Location: North Central Mississippi
Recent Weather Conditions: Mild temperatures, low in 40's highs in 60's, sunny a few days, partly cloudy others...
Enclosure: Hen House is 8' x 16' , 8 nesting boxes, pen area is 16' x 16' with 1 inch welded wire all sides and top. Predator proof (or at least highly resistant). Hens are always enclosed in the pen / house area.
Feed: Layer Pellets, consistently the same brand
Water: Plenty (kept fresh daily)
Lighting: Only natural sunlight. No artificial lighting
Environment outside of pen: No dogs, cats or other critters in the surrounding area causing disturbances. Pen is right next to my home.
Rooster: None at any time.
Hens began laying slowly in October 2011 and have laid since then with varying numbers of eggs until around the first of January. Since the first week in January and until one week ago, averaging 9-12 eggs each day very consistently. Last Saturday morning, February 4, gathered 10 eggs as had been normal. Absolutely zero eggs on Sunday and none up through today, February 11.
Hens do not appear to be molting. There is no notable feather loss whatsoever, so I do not think they are molting. No changes in environment that I can determine. Nesting boxes are clean with fresh shavings with no change in type. The hens are eating normally and do not appear to be sick or showing any indications of behavioral differences other than no egg laying.
Has anyone else experienced this type behavior? For the record, nobody could possibly be stealing the eggs and nothing is getting into the pen and there is nowhere else for them to have changed nesting spots.
This has me completely stumped, and I am out of ideas. Anybody have any thoughts on what could have caused the abrupt stop in egg laying? (To repeat, there has been no detectable feather loss whatsoever.)
Any help appreciated.
Flock Size: 15 (all hens)
Age: Hatched March 26, 2011 - 10.5 months old
Breed makeup: 5 White Rock, 4 Blue Andalusian, 6 barred rocks
Location: North Central Mississippi
Recent Weather Conditions: Mild temperatures, low in 40's highs in 60's, sunny a few days, partly cloudy others...
Enclosure: Hen House is 8' x 16' , 8 nesting boxes, pen area is 16' x 16' with 1 inch welded wire all sides and top. Predator proof (or at least highly resistant). Hens are always enclosed in the pen / house area.
Feed: Layer Pellets, consistently the same brand
Water: Plenty (kept fresh daily)
Lighting: Only natural sunlight. No artificial lighting
Environment outside of pen: No dogs, cats or other critters in the surrounding area causing disturbances. Pen is right next to my home.
Rooster: None at any time.
Hens began laying slowly in October 2011 and have laid since then with varying numbers of eggs until around the first of January. Since the first week in January and until one week ago, averaging 9-12 eggs each day very consistently. Last Saturday morning, February 4, gathered 10 eggs as had been normal. Absolutely zero eggs on Sunday and none up through today, February 11.
Hens do not appear to be molting. There is no notable feather loss whatsoever, so I do not think they are molting. No changes in environment that I can determine. Nesting boxes are clean with fresh shavings with no change in type. The hens are eating normally and do not appear to be sick or showing any indications of behavioral differences other than no egg laying.
Has anyone else experienced this type behavior? For the record, nobody could possibly be stealing the eggs and nothing is getting into the pen and there is nowhere else for them to have changed nesting spots.
This has me completely stumped, and I am out of ideas. Anybody have any thoughts on what could have caused the abrupt stop in egg laying? (To repeat, there has been no detectable feather loss whatsoever.)
Any help appreciated.