Red Tailed hawk casualty, new additions, feathers everywhere, rat snake and all egg laying ceased!

[JeremiahLee]

Offer the oyster shell all the time, give the scratch sparingly as a treat, and hang in there. Any stress can make the girls stop laying, and a hawk attack is pretty stressful. For both them and you. They should start to give you eggs again soon.
I would invest in a better cover for your big pen. The fishing line and shiny things doesn't work hardly at all...trust me I've tried it.

So sorry about the hawk attack! It is horrible to come out to a murdered chicken! It's pretty horrible for the chickens too. We had an eagle attack in July. One chicken was killed outright, one was injured and succumbed to her injury a week later and one died of shock a few days after the attack. It was simply devastating for me and my chickens. After a bunch of shuffling in the pecking order, and very few eggs, things were getting back to normal. That was a couple weeks ago. Then another hen died of unknown causes on 8/15 and we started the whole thing all over again. And now they are beginning to molt.

I'm just sayin'...I can empathize. Don't worry though. They will work it out and get back to normal. It takes time.

Oh my, Valerie! And I thought the hawk was bad!!! Thank you so much for the advice.

 

[Quackter]

Oh wow! I have been finding some in the yard sporadically. I'll bet you that's it! There is the biggest commotion at the door to the laying boxes because some of the hens want in and these broody hens won't allow it. Thank you so much!

I'd say you got several issues, everything coming to a head, molting and stress included. Young roosters are pretty eager to to eat an egg. Maybe put a box up across the run? Was gonna say if your coup is reasonably tight, and you have room for a black turkey, might be cheaper than a roof? Or even Black Austrolorps seem to help, we have a lot of hawks here. One missed a white chicken that got loose and was out at the neighbors. Knock on wood, no other issues, but could loose one tomorrow, who knows?

 

[JeremiahLee]

Yes. That's why you aren't getting many eggs, also. My RIR is molting and the run looks like a chicken exploded. Sorry about your hen.

Thank you, townchicks, for your wise counsel!!! I do appreciate it. I had no idea about these things.

 

[JeremiahLee]

I'd say you got several issues, everything coming to a head, molting and stress included. Young roosters are pretty eager to to eat an egg. Maybe put a box up across the run? Was gonna say if your coup is reasonably tight, and you have room for a black turkey, might be cheaper than a roof? Or even Black Austrolorps seem to help, we have a lot of hawks here. One missed a white chicken that got loose and was out at the neighbors. Knock on wood, no other issues, but could loose one tomorrow, who knows?

Lordy, there's trouble all around us. Who knew??? I didn't know the roosters would eat the eggs. Dang! Thank you so much, Quackter.

 

[JeremiahLee]

Oh, my!

One thought: I wouldn't shoot at anything I didn't want to hit.... my luck, I'd hit it for sure. I threw an empty pie pan "at" my dog once, no hope of hitting her. Gracie couldn't catch a ball if I put it in her mouth. She turned and looked right at it... and it beamed her between the eyes. I don't throw things any more.

You really made me laugh out loud with this one! Yes, it would be my luck I'd hit a federally protected species! lol Thank you for the smile and advice.

 

[ValerieJ]

I'd say you got several issues, everything coming to a head, molting and stress included. Young roosters are pretty eager to to eat an egg. Maybe put a box up across the run? Was gonna say if your coup is reasonably tight, and you have room for a black turkey, might be cheaper than a roof? Or even Black Austrolorps seem to help, we have a lot of hawks here. One missed a white chicken that got loose and was out at the neighbors. Knock on wood, no other issues, but could loose one tomorrow, who knows?

That's a new one for me. How would a Black Australorp "help" with hawks? I'm very curious about that.

 

[JeremiahLee]

Just a maybe, if the broodies are not letting them in the boxes,, you can they might be laying on the ground, and you might have an egg buster. They'll clean them up good you can hardly tell they did it.

I simply had no idea! Thank you so very much!

 

[ValerieJ]

Oh my, Valerie! And I thought the hawk was bad!!! Thank you so much for the advice.

Wasn't trying to be dramatic. I usually leave the drama queen roll to the chickens. My point was that any stress at all can interrupt the egg laying cycle. Shoot...my chickens were alarmed when I put cantaloupe in their run for the first time. They wanted nothing to do with it and stomped away. They were sure I was poisoning them. Then one very brave chicken, whose neck suddenly got longer than her body, reached out for a seed and the excitement began. I truly believe stress is the normal state of being for a chicken, and sometimes we help them forget that.

 

[Quackter]

That's a new one for me. How would a Black Australorp "help" with hawks? I'm very curious about that.

The most logical reason I have heard is they look like crows to the hawk, and crows harass the heck out of hawks.

 

[Quackter]

Lordy, there's trouble all around us. Who knew??? I didn't know the roosters would eat the eggs. Dang! Thank you so much, Quackter.

The hens will too sometimes, I don't know any voodoo to prevent it, just keep them laying in raised boxes. Seems to be a ring leader when they get in the habit, with the rest watching like hyenas waiting for the main one to break it. That's the one you want to eat.