I have 9 hens and 2 roosters. The hens are 2 years old, one roo is also 2 and one is a year old. He is top roo. I usually get 3-7 eggs a day, but in the last 3 days, I have gotten 1 egg. They free range in a fenced area, it is pretty bare, but I searched the area looking for the missing eggs. Nothing. I have a some ideas what could be happening, because it seems very strange for them all to stop laying at once.
Theory #1: something scared them in their coop. I saw this in a recent post, and it made sense. I have an open coop (only one side is solid, the rest is fencing) This morning I heard them all clucking like crazy around 6:30. I got up to see what was wrong, and all the hens were up on their perches clucking and my head roo was on the ground (he is a silkie and can't roost) clucking warning clucks. I didn't see anything around that would have scared them, but I am guessing there was probably a raccoon around. There is no way a raccoon can get inside the coop, but they can get right up to it. They did calm down after I came out, and have seemed fine today.
Theory #2: I have 2 hens that are brooding right now. I gave them 5 eggs 4 days ago to sit on, and since then, I have only collected fresh eggs once. I have 3 nesting boxes in the coop, but they never use them to lay. They prefer to use the 2 dog crates we have in the coop instead. Well, both hens are brooding in the "popular" crate (even though only one hen is actually sitting on eggs). This has never stopped the other hens before, they would either use the other crate or chase out the broody, or sit in there with her (they are large crates).
Theory #3: The weather has finally started acting like summer, after a loooong, very wet winter. But, even though the weather is warmer, it still hasn't gotten hot. The temp. hasn't gotten above 85 outside yet. Quite pleasant, considering what is coming.
So, any ideas on what has caused them to stop laying all at once? Oh, I haven't changed their feed, but they are getting more veggi scraps lately.
Theory #1: something scared them in their coop. I saw this in a recent post, and it made sense. I have an open coop (only one side is solid, the rest is fencing) This morning I heard them all clucking like crazy around 6:30. I got up to see what was wrong, and all the hens were up on their perches clucking and my head roo was on the ground (he is a silkie and can't roost) clucking warning clucks. I didn't see anything around that would have scared them, but I am guessing there was probably a raccoon around. There is no way a raccoon can get inside the coop, but they can get right up to it. They did calm down after I came out, and have seemed fine today.
Theory #2: I have 2 hens that are brooding right now. I gave them 5 eggs 4 days ago to sit on, and since then, I have only collected fresh eggs once. I have 3 nesting boxes in the coop, but they never use them to lay. They prefer to use the 2 dog crates we have in the coop instead. Well, both hens are brooding in the "popular" crate (even though only one hen is actually sitting on eggs). This has never stopped the other hens before, they would either use the other crate or chase out the broody, or sit in there with her (they are large crates).
Theory #3: The weather has finally started acting like summer, after a loooong, very wet winter. But, even though the weather is warmer, it still hasn't gotten hot. The temp. hasn't gotten above 85 outside yet. Quite pleasant, considering what is coming.
So, any ideas on what has caused them to stop laying all at once? Oh, I haven't changed their feed, but they are getting more veggi scraps lately.