Over 2 Weeks and no eggs

[gregg nowling]

So about 2 1/2 weeks ago one of my three original hens died. She hadn't laid eggs in about 2 weeks and we assume that she got bound up. I'm new at all of this so who knows.

Since then, our other two hens have quit laying. They laid pretty regularly for the first month or so we've had them, but it has stopped since the Easter Egger died.

They eat a layer crumble that we get from TSC. We change the water every day and we let the free range in our backyard as often as we can. They don't act out of sorts, they act perfectly normal in every other way and look healthy. I've even felt around their ovaducts for hardness. Nothing seems out of sort

I don't suspect hidden eggs....we've looked.

We've pretty well stopped giving them table scraps and snacks to force them to eat their crumble.

We mix oyster shells in with the crumble.

The only real changes are the death of the one hen ( who died overnight in their hen house) and we introduced 4 new ladies about a week and a half afterwards.

Clementine, our RIR does NOT like the new birds, but they all sleep together. I dunno. I'm at a loss.

Any thoughts?

Gregg

 

[scratch'n'peck]

My guess is that the hens are still getting used to the new members of the flock. They may not act out of sorts, but they are still a little stressed while the pecking order is getting established. My hens stopped laying for a few weeks when I moved them to a new coop, so I think they are just sensitive to change.

 

[gregg nowling]

Thanks. I'm hoping that is the case. I even went as far as to build a new set of laying boxes for the new hens, hoping they can have their own place.

Only two of the new girls are old enough to lay. I did get one egg out of one of them after I locked our RIR out of the pen so she could have some time away from her.

Dang this is a tricky, emotional thing.

 

[realsis]

they are defiantly sensitive to change. mine stopped laying for TWO months! now she is laying like clock work again thank God. she had just started laying when I bought her and she laid one egg then waited two months to become regular again. its likely just the change. I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[gregg nowling]

Ok. Part of we wonders what effect sleeping with a dead hen had on them. Was it traumatic for them? They were all from the same flock originally and got on quite well.

I'm also worried about the new ones. Only one egg all week and that was only after we locked out the RIR for a few hours. Not to mention we have 3 pulleys to introduce in the next couple weeks and some chicks to introduce behind that.

It's stressful, but I love this!