Five days ago, my hens stopped laying. They went from 5-6 eggs a day to 1 or nothing. Naturally, I panicked and read just about everything I could about it but none of the suggestions fitted my girls. They are all organically fed, free ranged in their "area", worms galore, grass, organic veggies, and treats. They are about 1 year old and they are not molting. They don't have fleas, not lethargic, no mites - Nothing. I could not understand it and I was quite depressed. I tried giving them buttermilk and this produced an extra egg but still nothing. Eventually, I had to go to the store to buy eggs (the horror!) and after that I was more than determined to find out why my hens were not laying. I checked for snakes, egg eating chicks, I went to the coop constantly and stayed there all day trying to find out why they were not laying. Finally went to the feed store and bought some oyster shells, omega 3 supplements and some treats which cost $75! My hubby was not happy at all. He being a vegetarian can barely tolerate the chickens but if they were providing eggs, at least I could justify owning them and now NO EGGS!
Today, I went to the coop to see if I could get some eggs because I had promised to provide some for a teacher who wanted to incubate for his class. I found one of them sitting in the nesting box. I could find an egg but I noticed something else. The rooster wanted to charge at me. He only did that when he was protecting eggs and I couldn't find the eggs so I did not understand why he wanted to charge me. I was looking around and SUDDENLY from the corner of my eyes, I saw EGGS!!!! It turns out that they had been laying after all and HIDING the eggs from me!!! 14 EGGS were in a corner under the nesting box and Sweetie had been sitting on them. Impossible!! I searched the coop just days ago when I was looking for snakes and I found nothing. I realized that the sneaky birds had actually distracted me when I was searching for snakes and that is why I didn't find the eggs. Sweetie, my buff orpington, had been broody previously and I kept taking her eggs because I wanted to eat them. I had left her a couple to hatch but they did not go to full term (I'm guessing because she sat in the nesting box and the other birds and me, kept disturbing her). Nevertheless, when 21 days came and the eggs did not hatch, she cried a lot. So I'm thinking she devised a plan with the other girls to hide their eggs so she can have her babies LOL.
I ended up taking 5 of the eggs and they all cried for 45 minutes. Finally, I had to go and bribe them with bread and peanut butter and some broccoli but she did not sit on the eggs after that. By evening, she was back on the eggs and I will try and take a picture to post when I get the opportunity.
Anyway, sorry for the long tale. I just wanted to share with others who might be having the same problem to look extra close and don't be distracted by the sneaky hens and look high and low for the eggs they might be hiding.
I will keep you all posted on her progress.
Today, I went to the coop to see if I could get some eggs because I had promised to provide some for a teacher who wanted to incubate for his class. I found one of them sitting in the nesting box. I could find an egg but I noticed something else. The rooster wanted to charge at me. He only did that when he was protecting eggs and I couldn't find the eggs so I did not understand why he wanted to charge me. I was looking around and SUDDENLY from the corner of my eyes, I saw EGGS!!!! It turns out that they had been laying after all and HIDING the eggs from me!!! 14 EGGS were in a corner under the nesting box and Sweetie had been sitting on them. Impossible!! I searched the coop just days ago when I was looking for snakes and I found nothing. I realized that the sneaky birds had actually distracted me when I was searching for snakes and that is why I didn't find the eggs. Sweetie, my buff orpington, had been broody previously and I kept taking her eggs because I wanted to eat them. I had left her a couple to hatch but they did not go to full term (I'm guessing because she sat in the nesting box and the other birds and me, kept disturbing her). Nevertheless, when 21 days came and the eggs did not hatch, she cried a lot. So I'm thinking she devised a plan with the other girls to hide their eggs so she can have her babies LOL.
I ended up taking 5 of the eggs and they all cried for 45 minutes. Finally, I had to go and bribe them with bread and peanut butter and some broccoli but she did not sit on the eggs after that. By evening, she was back on the eggs and I will try and take a picture to post when I get the opportunity.
Anyway, sorry for the long tale. I just wanted to share with others who might be having the same problem to look extra close and don't be distracted by the sneaky hens and look high and low for the eggs they might be hiding.
I will keep you all posted on her progress.
