Rooster no longer around, egg production down

[sarahgriswold]

Good day,
We have 7 egg laying hens and had 2 roosters, 1 was never with the flock as he was highly aggressive, the other was a great rooster, but due to the size, they both were Brahmas, we decided to cull them. It was a hard day for us and the flock. Since then the normal 7 eggs a day went down to 2-3. I am assuming the change of no rooster? We also acquired 6 new chicks that have been separated but still within sight...too much flock change?
Also its finally warming up here and they have been outside a good portion of the day and there barn doors are kept open at night (we have predator protection).
Thanks
Sarah, Central Vermont

 

[adstowe]

Chickens hate change. Both the rooster leaving and the new chicks are probably the cause. Give them a little time to get accustomed to their current situation.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Probably both.Thats a huge change in pecking order.
But why did you all of sudden just cull a perfectly good rooster?Makes since to cull the aggressive one but the other rooster sounds like he was a great rooster.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How long has this drop in production been going on? Changing the pecking order/flock dominance like that can disrupt laying for a bit but this time of the year it should not last long.

How old are they and are they pullets that laid through the winter? It's probably not this but a hen that has laid for over a year straight (some pullets lay through the winter without molting) will often slow way down. Their bodies sort of get worn down and they need to rest a bit.

Are you seeing a lot of feathers floating about? The main cause of chickens not laying is the molt. It's the wrong time of the year in Vermont for the regular fall molt but occasionally stress can trigger a molt. If you ran extra light over the winter to encourage laying and recently stopped that extra light you may have shortened the day and instigated a molt. Not likely but I'll ask.

A big cause of hens to stop laying is that they hide a nest on you. They can be pretty sneaky about this, you might want to check really well.

It's possible something is taking the eggs. Most things leave clues but sometimes they are not real obvious. The things that normally do not leave clues are snakes, canines, and humans. A snake generally does not come every day. They eat a few and go away a few days to digest them before they come back for more. If it is a consistent drop it is not a snake.

Foxes and coyotes would probably be more interested in your chickens than the eggs, but a dog could easily eat eggs and leave the chickens alone. So how good is your predator protection?

There are two possibilities with a human. One is a thief. But ask yourself do you have a practical joker around with a sick mind?

One thing you might try, put a couple of eggs down there with a mark on them. See if they disappear. That info might help you.

Good luck. A lot of the time it's hard to determine what really happened and you just need to be patient. But it doesn't hurt to check out a few possibilities.

 

[aart]

They may have appeared to stop laying,
because you are not finding the same number of eggs as before,
but may actually be laying out in the range area.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.