no eggs all of a sudden!

[jones1885]

HI everyone - I have read many of the post on chickens decreasing egg production due to stress, heat, change, diet etc. I think I understand all of that. I even understand the possibility of snakes eating the eggs. We typically get anywhere from 4-9 eggs a day and then one day (for the last week) NONE at all. It seems like it should be a gradual decline versus all the chickens joining a union and going -on strike all at once! I have various ages of chickens. What am I missing in all of this?

thanks in advance!
mary pat from GA

 

[gritsar]

Are you noticing alot of feathers laying around in the coop and chickens outside area? I am. All my chickens have gone into a molt - it's prime season for it. As usual, one of my hens is molting, but continuing to lay. She always continues to lay through her molts, so that's what I'll get for the rest of the season; one lonely little egg.

 

[Ariel301]

I had the same thing happen, at first I thought it had to be the heat...but then I realized that it was getting cooler, and before, they were laying daily even when it was well over 100. Then, the "feather storm" started. This is from some 5+ year old hens I got for free a while back, and they were looking pretty ratty, so it is molting time.

But....my bantams that I got as chicks are still not laying.

26 weeks old, and not an egg yet, despite all the food they gulp down. I'm going to feed them a bunch of cayenne pepper tonight, I heard an old wive's tale about that helping to get hens laying, and it seemed to work last time I tried it.

 

[clacasse88]

Quote:
Cayenne pepper, huh? Mine are all pullets (12 of them) and just started laying . . . now all of them have stopped, except 2 of my newest layers. My oldest who isn't quite a year old has now started molting (and no eggs)

 

[jones1885]

cayenne pepper huh!! There are a fair number of feathers so of course after I posted, I got the coveted one egg. Maybe if you just ask about them, they decide to lay! thanks!!