Hot weather, really bad output!

[betsycam]

I saw the thread for someone who just brought home new hens, albeit older, that weren't laying well, and the move could certainly stop the laying, but I have five hens and it has been so bad that I thought they were hiding eggs on me! They are 2 to 3 years old and I know age can affect the laying rate, but I am getting one or two eggs a week! I even kept them in a run for a couple of nights and days to see if they'd been hiding eggs and only got one egg between the five!

It has been very hot, high 90's and today 104!

This morning I saw one girl in the laying box, so thought yeah! When I checked later, no egg! This has happened before, too, seeing a hen in the box and then later no egg. Thought my husband had picked up the eggs but alas, no. Why would they bother going to the box if they didn't have an egg to lay?

Is there anything I can do to help them get productive? They have free range and find places to hide out in the bushes to get out of the heat.

 

[Cyprus]

Plenty of water, shade, and a fan or two.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

Huhh... since they are free ranged, I would definitely suspect that they are hiding eggs on you! Other than looking around, I would make sure that they have plenty of water, especially since its so hot outside!

 

[itspebbl]

Is it possible that one or two of them is an egg eater?
You could test it by opening the shell a little, adding food dye, and patching the hole. If it disappears, the hen with food dye on her beak would be the culprit.

 

[Cyprus]

Is it possible that one or two of them is an egg eater?
You could test it by opening the shell a little, adding food dye, and patching the hole. If it disappears, the hen with food dye on her beak would be the culprit.

Wouldn't the OP find a mess somewhere?

 

[itspebbl]

Possibly, but often all that is left behind is damp bedding, from what I have seen

 

[aart]

I even kept them in a run for a couple of nights and days to see if they'd been hiding eggs and only got one egg between the five!

Might take a longer confinement to really assess the situation.

Plenty of water, shade, and a fan or two

Along with this^^ ^ and other heat busters.
A dose of electrolytes can help in the heat.

How long has this been going on?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[betsycam]

Tried to do my personal details (location) but then it wouldn't let me submit, said I had to fill in all the mandatory fields, which weren't indicated!

I'm located in Orange Cove, CA which is in the San Joaquin Valley. Today our high was 104 :-( We are having a 10 day stretch of triple digit heat. This is becoming the new normal, didn't used to be that way. Highs over summer were in the mid 90's with occasional triple digits for a couple of days and then back down. I don't think I've ever had the girls go off-line this badly over summer.

Yesterday and today I got one egg, appears to be the same girl, my RIR. A couple are on the older side, over 3, so I'll cut them some slack. The fact that she used the nest box, and others who had false alarms were trying to use it, suggests that they aren't hiding eggs, but who knows. The nest box is not in their "coop," which is a small chain link dog kennel with the top covered. During the day that run gets too hot so I don't want to force them to stay in it 24/7.

I will try adding electrolytes since I have some. The nest box is dry. There has been the occasional broken egg in the nest box but definitely a mess! I've tried spying on the girls when I first let them out to see if anyone is beating feet to the hiding spot, but they just mill around the shop where they find the occasional spilled grain.