Moving coop disrupted laying! :(

[AbundantAcres]

I'm hoping someone here can help us get back on track. We recently moved our chicken coop and now our girls aren't laying near as much!!! The coop that we moved was originally inside our barn, with 2 walls being barn walls and 2 being walls we built and put on. They also had an outside coop that was attached to the barn, and they could access the outside coop from the inside coop. From the outside coop they were able to go out into their free range run and do their thing. We recently made the decision to get cows next year, so we needed to move the inside coop outside and start preparing the area inside the barn for cow pens.

We started the chicken coop moving project on April 2nd, a Friday. That day we simply boarded up the inside coop/outside coop access door and left them alone while we cleaned out the inside coop. We use the deep litter method during our long Maine winters and so there was a full day's worth of wood chips/hay to move out. We got that done and then opened the access door back up for the night. Saturday morning we again closed the access door and dismantled the inside coop. We moved their nest boxes out into the outside coop which had become more the "roost" area for them at night... and although it wasn't ideal and the nest boxes were on the floor, they were used. Our normal once spring started coming upon us was about 20-24 eggs a day from our flock of 34. This was increasing at a pretty steady rate still, and our birds are all at least 2 years old! The first 2 nights of the craziness, we still got our normal eggs, around 20-24. Even w/the nest boxes on the floor. During all this they had access to their run, and the outside coop.

Sunday was Easter Sunday, and we didn't do much of anything that day because of church and family obligations, so they got to just hang out in their area and chill. Monday morning we had to change up the routine a bit. The girls were locked out of the outside coop into their run for the day, and nest boxes were placed on the ground out there just in case they wanted to use them. No one did. We then took off one wall of the outside coop and cleaned it out. The girls were just doing their normal daytime ranging and scratching, and had made a few nests as well, where at about noontime I noticed they'd started laying eggs. Our girls tend to lay at all times of the day and night. Normally the routine is about 7-9 eggs in the morning when we get out to feed, and then a few laid in the morning hours with girls going into the coop to nest and then going back out to range. And then in the afternoon we'll get a rush of laying and then collect them at night when we feed again. So the daytime laying wasn't unusual. Just weren't using the nest boxes, they were making their own nests. The afternoon Monday was spent putting up the "inside coop" outside. We actually attached it to the "outside" coop on the wall that we had taken out from the "outside" coop. So now it was one very large outside coop.

We got all the walls up that day, and the old outside coop still had it's roof on it, so they were able to come in for the night to roost.

Tuesday was the last day we could work on this as my husband was going back to work the following day after the winter off. I went to collect eggs that morning and we only had 2. That's when I knew something was off. Tuesday we had to lock the girls INTO the coop so that we could dismantle the fencing in their old run and re-run new fencing that will hopefully stand up to our snow/ice combination we get come winter. They weren't happy. They spent the entire day inside, and we got the fencing run. Finally at about 3pm I let them out into the new run, and they took over digging up new grass (the run was made larger to accommodate the 50-60 chicks that are coming and will be laying come fall. They were happy, but annoyed at the being locked up. We only had 3 eggs in the coop after they'd been in all day, so as of 3pm a total of 5 eggs Tuesday!!!

We put a metal roof on the old part of the coop and partially on the new before night came in. We then covered the rest w/plywood and left them alone. They now had a coop and a run, although not ideal. It still needs to be finished. Their nest boxes are still on the floor, and they are now only giving us 11-12 eggs a day!!! It's been a week and a half now.... They aren't using the nests at all, just laying on the floor, which obviously isn't ideal at all.

The plan this weekend is to put up a shelf to put nest boxes on and then get it covered w/a 45 degree angle board so they can't roost on top of the nest boxes anymore. My question is this: is the drop off in laying due to the boxes being on the floor at this point? Or more due to the fact that their entire routine was disrupted? Can we fix this maybe??? They are one of my main offerings at farmer's market so I really need the eggs!!! I have never heard of chickens just stop laying except for a molt, and they are not molting. Just not laying. Will they "decide" to start again when things are more back to normal? HELP!!!

For the record, I appreciate your reading the long post. I know it's alot to take in. I also know that no one can give me all the answers, or predict the future. But what have been your experiences w/disrupting and then getting them to lay again??? And what have been your experiences w/chickens who decide to just stop laying? lol


Thanks!

Ann Marie

 

[rancher hicks]

Any disruption can cause them to stop laying until they adjust. Not necessarily all chickens. Some adjust more readily than others even within the same breed. I bought 4 Del hens and a roo. Some laid from day one. Others I wasn't sure were even hens till they laid after about a week. Give them time.
I personally don't like nest boxes at floor level. I figure it gives more access to preds. I also have read nest boxes should be dark and small so hens don't have room to walk around. This helps prevent egg eating.
Anyhow the change is probably the problem.