hen hasn't laid in 3 days

[Akane]

I don't see how or why they'd leave the membrane of a fully formed egg if they were eating them. I'd bet you a shell less egg was laid and either the contents oozed out when it broke or that was eaten out of the membrane. Seperating the shell and the internal contents from the membrane is a bit beyond chicken beak manipulation. It's almost if not truly too much for human fingers to accomplish. If your hen just started laying odds are you'll get at least one shell less egg and you may be getting several you just don't find. Make sure you have some oyster shell out just in case but even if they are getting enough calcium you'll get the shell less egg on occasion. It's also not uncommon for a hen to take a week, several weeks, or even more than a month off from laying particularly if something scares or stresses them. Hardly any breed lays an egg a day everyday even in ideal conditions with lights and temperature controlled situations. Most breeds average more towards 200 eggs a year with the more ornamental breeds being closer to 100 eggs a year. That's a lot of days without eggs. No reason to worry if they miss a few.

 

[RiverBendPol]

My 3 Buff Orpington girls, 16 months old, are on strike. We haven't seen an egg since the beginning of August. They have a lovely house with 2 nesting boxes and a big run (about 8' square). The girls are free range, going out every day into the great outdoors around 8 am and back in before dusk. They have a light on in their house, they have never run out of food or water and eat bugs and grass and whatever else they like all day. When the egg production started dropping off (we had been getting at least 2 a day, sometimes 3), I wondered if our Bad Beagle was stealing. Sure enough, after a stake-out, I confirmed. So I kept the girls shut up in the mornings till eggs were laid, gathered then let The Ladies out. So, any sugestions? I feel a little like Mrs. Tweedy! (if you chicken people haven't seen Chicken Run, get thee to the video store and rent it!!

)
Thanks.

 

[howipinchapenny]

you are NOT gong to believe this one!
I put my decoy egg out there and they did the same thing!!! They ate the hot sauce and the mustard leaving just the membrane. It is like they are peeling the egg!! I had to fight them for it.

is there a protein or something chickens are lacking when they eat eggs or are they just being mean to me?