HELP!!!!!!!!!!! ALL of my hens have stopped laying eggs!

[hardychant]

LAYING AGAIN!
I used bottled spring water (I am sure that there is a salt supplement but water is easy for me). I'm in the NE (PA), so it wasn't the change in season, although I am sure that will happen. The baby girls were molting, so there feathers are looking sharp and egg are back - so happy.

 

[Ilovemacy]

I have 8 hens & 1 Rooster. Have not had an egg in 8 weeks.
I assume they are molting but 7 of the hens have never laced before. I thought they had to lay before they molted.

 

[lauries]

Have 10 hens, 3 Easter Eggers, 4 Black Australorps, 2 New Hampshire Reds and 1 lone Barre Rock who are all about 2+ yrs old. They have been great layers (4-6-7 eggs/day) up to about 60 days ago, then started reducing down to 1-3 and for last 3 weeks 0 eggs. Live in Houston, TX area and they get evening setting sun into run and edge of coop so light is less of a problem. I hated that I had to buy eggs this week. Even during molting last year they laid a reasonable amt of eggs. Over last 3-4 weeks have seen more feathers on ground; some hens losing some feathers and others have some growing back.

A couple of weeks ago, based upon evidence, did have something, probably coyote or even bobcat chase down a skunk into barn along common wall with chicken coop and kill it. It took a couple of days for me to figure out what had happened and took another couple of days for husband to have daylight time on a Saturday to clean it out of barn. I had to mix up skunk stink killer spray to spray down barn areas trying to eliminate the remaining odor. BTW Recipe: 1-32 oz bottle 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 c baking soda and 1 tspn liquid dish soap (Dawn)-stir to mix up. Can wash dog or other pet with it if they get skunked. Got directions from vet. I mixed up a gallon and put in hand pump pressure sprayer and sprayed everything in barn area and it has killed the odor. But I think another skunk is coming around because I smell it on and off. Have to clean out the barn to figure out where it is trying to nest for winter and drive it out or kill it. Last time used chlorine tablets for septic tank down holes-haven't had a problem for a long time.

I imagine a skunk running for its life and being caught by whatever just on the other side of the coop wall must have made a tremendous rukus so don't know if that may have contributed to frightening the laying out of the hens or if it is just this apparent molting. Last year the molting didn't seem to bother them so much because they continued to lay. Of course, like us all they are a year older. ??

 

[Gates Farm]

Egg Sucking Snake. Case Closed.

 

[ange]

I am having same trouble. My hens stopped laying entirely a few weeks ago, I know it is winter and cold here, and they Are molting, at least some are, I did receI've a few eggs a few weeks ago, but none now. Any suggestions? Is this normal to receive none at all. They are sex link and cherry edgers and Rhode Island reds, 2 years old and 1 years old and 18 months

 

[sunshynertc]

I have 7 hens and for 2 weeks none of them were laying any eggs. We had a cold rain storm and the coop, which we build a few months ago got flooded. I think that the coop getting flooded stressed the hens into not laying eggs. I put a heating lamp in the coop so they are currently getting 12 hours of light. I am up to three eggs. I know two of my hens - my Easter Eggers, are not winter layers. My Buff Orpingtons are not laying and most of what I read, they are suppose to be winter layers.

 

[philipchickymad]

i have 10 hens now and they have all stopped laying, there was a fox attack around 2 weeks ago where he took 3 hens and a roo, but since then there has been no eggs, how long will it be till they lay again

 

[sunshynertc]

We have had dry cold days and a lot of heavy fog days since the rain storm. Since the fog was so thick for several days I put the heating lamp on in the coop from 6am to 6pm. I used the heating lamp for the two weeks prior to when the hens started laying again. It took almost 8 weeks of no eggs before my hens started laying again. It was a long 8 weeks I am now getting 6 to 8 eggs a day from my hens. I think one of my pullets has also started to lay.

 

[eggtraspecial]

We are in the same boot.Cant figure it out either.We have 30 hens and 2 roosters and we get 1 Egg a day for the last 6 weeks.
Have a real nice Coop large run area, feed what you feed ond Nothing.Cant figure it out .Average age 2 Years.Does some one know ?????  Why  ??????

 

[Cutepal]

It is usually from winter seasons mostly, hens could stop laying eggs during the winter. It may also likely be predator visits, the hens will get frighten of predators and will stop laying their eggs for a while. There is one more possibility, an egg theif. It could be any animal, we noticed our chickens weren't laying eggs, (they were) then we found a rat in the nest box, and it ran off with an egg.