Not laying eggs

[Alyssa-Bee]

How would I stop them from eating eggs?

Sometimes putting fake eggs (plastic Easter eggs, gold balls, etc) works. If they aren't rewarded when they peck the eggs it may stop. Also check the nest boxes/collect eggs as often as possible.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Ages? Breeds?

 

[chickenchicklady]

Sometimes putting fake eggs (plastic Easter eggs, gold balls, etc) works. If they aren't rewarded when they peck the eggs it may stop. Also check the nest boxes/collect eggs as often as possible.

Perfect! I actually just picked up 8 wooden eggs to put in their nest boxes yesterday, and I’m cleaning out the coop again today, so I will be putting them in! And we do check it three times daily. That might be overkill, but I figured that them eating the eggs could be a possibility, so that’s why we’ve been doing it.

Ages? Breeds?

I got them all last year in March and April. I have barred rocks, New Hampshire reds, North stars, blue laced Wyandotte‘s, and black sex links.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I got them all last year in March and April. I have barred rocks, New Hampshire reds, North stars, blue laced Wyandotte‘s, and black sex links.

Sorry, I got nothing. Was hoping you were going to give an age around 18 months, so I could say look for signs of molting - but the timeframes don't match up...

and 3-4 times daily should be plenty for finding eggs before something untoward happens.

So I'm bowing out, with nothing to offer. Good luck in your efforts to find out, hope they return to laying soon!

 

[chickenchicklady]

Go figure, there was one mouse in the chicken coop when I was cleaning it today. Chickens can’t get sick from mice, can they?

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

How many hours of daylight are they getting every day? Anything going on that could be stressing them, like construction sounds?

 

[SulkyBantam]

Hello friends. I have a problem. My chickens are not laying eggs. I get about one egg every other day out of 20 hens. I have been giving them oyster shells, grit, protein in the form of meal worms. They have a clean coop, they have clean water, they are getting plenty of nutrients. None of them are egg bound of have sour crop. None of them are showing symptoms of any illnesses, they have a full appetite. It has been warm and sunny the past couple weeks where I live. I have checked them for mites and lice, nothing. I was getting about 3-5 eggs a day during the main part of winter. I know it’s common for them to decrease egg laying in the colder months, but is it common for them to almost completely stop? Like I said, it’s been warm, other than a few weeks ago it was in negative temps. But it’s been in the mid 40s-50s the past couple weeks, shouldn’t they be laying more? I’ve already checked to see if they’re hiding any and I have yet to find any being hidden. Please reassure me that this is normal? And if not, what else can I do?

how old are they?

 

[SulkyBantam]

Go figure, there was one mouse in the chicken coop when I was cleaning it today. Chickens can’t get sick from mice, can they?

not unless they are carrying diseases. If you have rats, they can urinate on the food and contaminate it, but I'm not sure if that's such a common problem with mice. Are they eating the food?

 

[chickenchicklady]

How many hours of daylight are they getting every day? Anything going on that could be stressing them, like construction sounds?

No noises. Sun rises about 7 AM and sets around 6:40 PM. So almost 12 hrs/day.

how old are they?

Got them all last March and April.

not unless they are carrying diseases. If you have rats, they can urinate on the food and contaminate it, but I'm not sure if that's such a common problem with mice. Are they eating the food?

Not that I know of..

The mouse couldn’t have been living in there too long. I clean the coop out every single week and this is the first time I’ve ever seen it.

the chickens sure went crazy for it once it ran out of the coop into the run. But they weren’t able to catch it.

OK. So I cleaned up the coop, put all fresh bedding down, change the bedding out of their nesting boxes per usual, added some fake eggs.

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

No noises. Sun rises about 7 AM and sets around 6:40 PM. So almost 12 hrs/day.

Got them all last March and April.

Not that I know of..

The mouse couldn’t have been living in there too long. I clean the coop out every single week and this is the first time I’ve ever seen it.

the chickens sure went crazy for it once it ran out of the coop into the run. But they weren’t able to catch it.

OK. So I cleaned up the coop, put all fresh bedding down, change the bedding out of their nesting boxes per usual, added some fake eggs.

Okay! I've also heard that mint leaves help to keep mice away, not sure if it works, though. If you put some in the coop the chickens might just eat it. My girls turn down mint if I try giving them a sample.