Help! My hens have suddenly stopped laying!!!!

[chickenslave2]

I have two isa brown hens, an isa brown cross sussex hen, a wayndotte bantam hen and a silkie cross sussex rooster and all my hens have stopped laying! I have recently taken the bantam away from the others for a month or so and put her back, but i have done that before and they were fine.

I have also started shutting the door on them at night so i can let them out in the morning and give them breakfast but i used to do that a year or so ago and i had no problem. They have been together since they were chicks and have been fine, and they are also pretty spoilt chickens so they arent mistreated. I have moved them from coop to coop before and that hasnt even detered them, but now i dont understand. They are way too young to stop laying and go into retirement. They dont eat their eggs either, unless the eggs are already cracked.

I dont understand why they would suddenly stop like this. The breeds are supposed to lay all year round so its not the shorter days. Its been going on for a week or so now and i dont want to buy eggs. Please help.

 

[Mini Meat]

They may have made a nest somewhere in the bushes.

 

[chickenslave2]

Possibly. I will watch them one day and see if they go there.

Thanks!

 

[Mini Meat]

Try keeping them in a few hours longer then usual. This may cause them to bolt to the nest (if there is one) when you do let them out

 

[OrionDarkwood]

The questions I would ask is:

Are they molting?
Is there something that has changed about the nest or is something hanging out around the nest they don't like?
In general has something changed otherthan closing them up at night, chickens from my experience are creatures of habit and take a bit to adjust to changes?

 

[chickenslave2]

Yes they are molting, but they molted last year and it didn't deter them. Nothing has really changed other than shutting the door at night. I might have to see if there's something they don't like in the nests - I think there might be a rat in there eating their food.