Hens were laying, but all have stopped!?!

[kycklingmamma]

Could you try a cat, even if you "borrow" one form a friend or neighbor? We had a mice nest under our coop, and our cat Lucy took care of that problem fast. During the days when the girls were out she would hang in the coop and have a field day.

Here she is in action, or should I say she is taking a break. The girls were so mad at her here, she was actually laying ontop of some eggs. Grace, my Welsumer, she was fussing up a storm...she is a talker anyway, but that day we could barely get her to shut up...

Kycklingmamma

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I just had a late-breaking idea. Are your hens free-ranging? Because in the last couple weeks, I've been having troubles with my hens "not laying". Yeah, so they've been laying, just in the shed, under the porch, in the doghouse, etc. They are now in an enclosed run most of the day.

 

[JessaLynn]

Awww cute kitty and hen! I love to see barn cats specialy like that. We have 4 barn cats and no mice in site!

 

[Judy]

I have two dogs who hunt down/dig up mice, moles, etc. and kill them.

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Mrs.Puff :

I just had a late-breaking idea. Are your hens free-ranging? Because in the last couple weeks, I've been having troubles with my hens "not laying". Yeah, so they've been laying, just in the shed, under the porch, in the doghouse, etc. They are now in an enclosed run most of the day.

If I let mine out early in the day I get half the eggs in the shed.​

 

[Alaskan Chicken]

I don't want to hijack your tread, but I am having the same problem! My chickens have stopped laying also. I was getting between 10 to 12 eggs a day 2 weeks ago, then it went down to 6 to 8 eggs a day last week, and then 5, 4 and 3 today! What I have changed: turned off their heat lamp at night, (for about a week, I have it back on now), they also got extra table scrapes for about 4 days. My hens are about 10 months old, they are fed layer pellets, fresh water, a dish of cooked oatmeal every morning, and they have a 40 watt light on from 7 am to 7 pm. Any help would be great.

 

[JessaLynn]

Quote:
You might want to go egg hunting in your coop,yard.Mine have nice nest boxes but two still prefer to lay on the floor under there feeder.

Also feeding them to many scraps can offset there diet and they may not being getting enough nutrition to help them lay.OR they could be molting

 

[cybercat]

Quote:
Hmm wonder what you get if a cat hatches chickens eggs?????

 

[Alaskan Chicken]

I got 10 eggs today! Two this morning before work, and I took the advice to check the nest more often, there were 8 more at mid day, and one broken, with only a little bit of shell in the nest. I do having nesting boxes, and I have looked around for eggs, no luck. When do chickens molt? I thought it was in the fall, I have noticed more feathers on the coop, do they lose their feathers, all of the chickens look good.

 

[JessaLynn]

Quote:
There first molt you will hardly notice,except feathers everywhere.Second year you will see slight bear backs and such.Egg eating could be the issue with your hens.Put some crushed oyster shell next to there feed and that should stop it.Also continue to collect eggs threw out the day (atleast twice a day if you can) Good luck!