Stopped laying... Ugh

[cluckcluckhens]

Sorry about your eggs. We feed ours flock raiser pellet. In the last two purchases the crumbles were out of stock. In what I have saw is ours sometimes lays eggs in the run. Blue bird jays will peck a hole in the eggs to destroy them. Squirrels can carry them in their mouth a little distance before they rest and continue on with the egg. Squirrels will try to push them self and egg through wire defensing. I watched this happen one year in the summer. Once when I collected I was standing in front of the laying box getting ready to collect the eggs and a squirrel was in the box eating the egg. I could of stomped on that squirrel but didn't think about it at the time. It ran over my shoes and out the coop in just a few moments. Hens will eat eggs. If you don't have acrylic eggs, golf balls get some to see if it helps. Look for shells in the laying boxes.

I give black oil sunflower seeds twice a day. I have 9 chickens.

 

[Murdy]

Sorry about your eggs. We feed ours flock raiser pellet. In the last two purchases the crumbles were out of stock. In what I have saw is ours sometimes lays eggs in the run. Blue bird jays will peck a hole in the eggs to destroy them. Squirrels can carry them in their mouth a little distance before they rest and continue on with the egg. Squirrels will try to push them self and egg through wire defensing. I watched this happen one year in the summer. Once when I collected I was standing in front of the laying box getting ready to collect the eggs and a squirrel was in the box eating the egg. I could of stomped on that squirrel but didn't think about it at the time. It ran over my shoes and out the coop in just a few moments. Hens will eat eggs. If you don't have acrylic eggs, golf balls get some to see if it helps. Look for shells in the laying boxes.

I give black oil sunflower seeds twice a day. I have 9 chickens.

Although I've been out of town for almost a week, from what I can see on the cameras, things seem to be getting back to normal. I'll know more when I get home though. I'm fairly certain the heat was the main issue.

 

[bruceha2000]

Good question! I'm hoping that it was my friend who rents my basement suite... But he hasn't replied to my question yet.

A friend does not steal your property!!

As far as I know skunks are fully nocturnal,

um, nope. At least not young ones. I came across the one with the short stripes IN the chick brooder area in the coop snacking on the starter feed. The chicks were out in the barn alley with "Mom".

 

[Murdy]

A friend does not steal your property!!


um, nope. At least not young ones. I came across the one with the short stripes IN the chick brooder area in the coop snacking on the starter feed. The chicks were out in the barn alley with "Mom".
View attachment 2766972

Haha... No, my friend watches after my girls and collects eggs when I'm out of town.

 

[bruceha2000]

Well then said friend should be providing an accounting of the eggs so you don't go crazy trying to figure out why your girls stopped laying!

 

[Murdy]

Well then said friend should be providing an accounting of the eggs so you don't go crazy trying to figure out why your girls stopped laying!

Said friend is having a pretty tough time with life these days. I'm trying not to bother him any more than I need to.

 

[bruceha2000]

Sorry to hear that, I hope his life improves.

 

[Murdy]

Sorry to hear that, I hope his life improves.

Me too! Him as well!

Thanks

 

[DoozyWombat]

I'm glad I found this thread. I have a white Leghorn who stopped laying, after being the most active and prolific layer in the flock for six months. She's only fourteen months old, and she kept laying right through the winter solstice. But about April, she started hiding her eggs under an overturned cart. I thought she was taking a molting break, but then realized she was looking very weak. Something was definitely wrong.

When I couldn't find her, I looked until I found her under the cart, setting on ten eggs (not all hers.) I got her food and water and took the eggs, but I thought she was a goner. I actually had to dip her beak into the water to get her to drink, like a day-old, but I got her eating and drinking.

She recovered fully, but she has not laid since then--three months now. She has dropped a couple of eggs from her perch, but they appear to be malformed and incomplete, not smashing the way a normal egg would.

I feed 100% layer pellets, with constantly-available supplements of oyster shell and grit.

Best guess I can make is that she got egg bound, but has recovered. Yet I can't see why she wouldn't start laying again.

Any ideas?

 

[bruceha2000]

I wonder if she was in such bad shape and close to death maybe her reproductive tract was damaged.