New coop and no eggs. Soooo Frustrated!!! Finally laying again.

[patman75]

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So when you go to clean the coop you just grab the tarp and pull everything out the door.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
So when you go to clean the coop you just grab the tarp and pull everything out the door.

 

[gsim]

Your nests are darker and more private than mine, minus the direct sunlight aspect of it. I only have dividers between the nests. No direct sunlight tho. Mine are almost 6 mo old and I get 14 - 16 eggs a day from 24 pullets. (Some have not yet started laying and occasionally I get one dropped from the roost onto the poop plank. Probably 4 or 5 times since eggs started at 4 months.None on floor or outside. )

You might try a portable nest, say one made from a cardboard box and put where it is dark. Any chance they are laying them outside under the henhouse?

Beautiful job btw. Regarding your coop being a place for a future mother in law, I suppose it would work being as it looks like it is just as practical for an old hen as it is for a young chick!

 

[patman75]

Well still no eggs, looked around inside and dug around in the bedding and nothing.

tomorrow I will get under the coop and see if they are hinding eggs there. I could not see anything from the outside. If they are laying under the coop then they will get locked inside the coop for a few days to get the to use the nest boxes.

 

[chicks4kids]

Do you have a roo? They do have a way to "tell" their girls to lay eggs.

 

[patman75]

Still nothing!!!

I have added a light and a timer to give them 14 hours of light. This was 4 days ago. I'm also giving them dewormer after I noticed some wierd poo.

It has been cold and we got a little snow. They don't come out of the coop for very long at all. I have a flock food block in the middle of the run and they have not touched it since we got the snow.

I have been reading mixed opinions on heat lamps vs letting the chickens get used to the natural temperature. Does anyone get eggs when it stays below freezing with no additional heat?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine are 9 months old and 2 of them are molting, so it is possible.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I love how your coop is like connected to ur house! great idea!!

Also they might have stopped laying because it is colder out, usually they will slow down or completely stop egg production when it gets very hot or very cold outside. My hens are laying fewer eggs since it got colder.

 

[trilyn]

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Yup, and my nest boxes are just like yours (I think) they are mounted on the eastern wall and get full southern exposure. Never did bother to cover them up and the girls lay in there faithfully. I also did the golfballs and I have shavings in my nests instead of straw. Maybe try switching out the straw for shavings, the girls are already used to the shavings and maybe that'll help? Who knows what goes on in their little chicken brains and I am so sorry that you're not getting eggs. That coop is to die for and yeah, like the other poster said-I'm drooling with envy!! Great job on that and I love how it matches the house-ungrateful chooks you've got!!

Good luck and I hope this situation rectifies itself soon!!

 

[chickflick]

25 laying hens and 1 egg today. It's winter...cold, dark and miserable.