**Need Advice on Why Hens Stop Laying***

[just271]

I have 2 RIR and 5 Buff Orpingtons, they started laying at 5 months and I was getting 5-6 eggs a day for about 6-weeks. They stopped laying, I'm lucky if I get 1 or 2 eggs every other day. Hens just started laying 6 weeks ago. They havent been laying for 2- weeks now.
I removed 1 young adult rooster hoping that will help. I had one nesting box so I added 3 additional nesting boxes hopping this will help.

If the hens don't go back to laying eggs, should I replace them??????

Any advice would be great-fully appreciated.

Thank you

 

[HEChicken]

There are a number or reasons that a hen would actually stop laying - most likely causes would be illness or stress. If you moved them from one geographic location or even to a new coop, the stress of the move would likely make them stop laying for a few days to weeks until they adapted to their new surrounds.

If neither of these is the case, my guess would be one of three things: They are laying in a hidden nest, a predator is stealing the eggs, or they have taken up egg eating.

 

[JodyJo]

I agree, hidden nest if you haven't changed food, or routines with them lately...go on an egg hunt. Mine have been laying 3 weeks, twice now I have had to put them on lock down, run shut off till about noon, to keep them laying in the boxes..it works..no more stray eggs, at least not THIS week!

 

[Alabama ee]

Are they molting? Also, worms (and or mites) will slow them down

 

[just271]

They only have access to the run area and the coop. I did make a mistake and changed there food to a whole other product, switched back after they wouldn't eat it. There's no hidden area's in the coop or run area for them to hid eggs, I search it everyday as if I'm looking for lost treasure. Haven't noticed any left over egg yolk or shell to think they maybe eating there eggs.

I'm totally confused!

 

[terrilhb]

There seems to be alot of that going on. I have 19 hens and am only getting 8 to 9 a day. They are all healthy but just no eggs. Will be interesting to see what everyone says. Cause I too am

and

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
There most likely would not be anything left over. The yolk is yummy enough they would consume all of it, and many people feed the shells as a calcium supplement instead of oyster shell, so this would most likely be consumed too.

You can test for egg eating/predator by leaving a couple of store bought eggs in the nest for a few hours. If they are gone by the time you check, that will narrow down the possibilities.

 

[mamahen2011]

Add me to the list of stumped chicken owners LOL

We're going on 2 weeks now with the new girls not laying at all, even though the previous owner said they started laying a few weeks prior to us getting them. Our Justina started laying a couple weeks before we got the 2 new girls and she was laying regularly. After almost a week with the new girls Justina went on a short STRIKE about laying

and didn't lay for 3-4 days. Then, out of the blue, she started back up again. I'm hoping the new girls will start soon. I put a golf ball in the laying box to try to get them to lay in there but so far only Justina will go in. I'm thinking of adding another box and seeing if the new girls will take to it. I've looked all the girls over and there is no sign of anything wrong with them. They are definitely getting more plump since being here, they were so thin before. They are definitely looking much better now.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

There is a nice thread about this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=423023

 

[ChickiKat]

my chickers aren't laying like I think they should but they are molting, so I blame it on that, and I may still have an egg eater.....