The girls stopped laying

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Ryan2016

Ryan2016

Chirping
Dec 20, 2015
34
11
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Connecticut
One of my girls was out free ranging on 2/3/17 and was slautered by a hawk. The rest were not touched but they all saw what happened. Will that cause them to stop laying(stupid question). I was thinking because of the stress of seeing what happened to there sister. They are 10 months old. Before this happened I was getting 6-7 eggs per day from 10 hens and now...Nothing..Any thoughts. I am still new to all of this
 
I am sorry to hear about your loss. The stress of watching a fellow flockmate die right before their eyes may be causing them to be stressed, but it is most likely the absence of your hen that is causing distress. With your hen suddenly gone, the pecking order will be all messed up. This might be causing stress. To help your hens feel safe and stay safe while free ranging them, I have found that it is useful to provide 1-3 simple shelters for your flock out in the yard. A simple internet search for "chicken tipi" on Google can provide you with lots of inspiration. If your area allows it, a rooster is also a great way to protect your flock. Good luck!
 
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In the past week I put up a temporary run. A 10'x12' canopy wrapped in a bunch of chicken wire I had on hand from another project. When I have the money I am going to buy a large outside dog kennel and wrap the top and all around it with the chicken wire for extra security. I also plan on building a new coop or remodeling the current coop which I just kind of threw together cause I was moving.
 
My chicken run is built from chain link dog kennel panels. While these can be a bit pricey, they last a really long time and they are outstanding at keeping out predators.
 
Ryan2016 said:
In the past week I put up a temporary run. A 10'x12' canopy wrapped in a bunch of chicken wire I had on hand from another project. When I have the money I am going to buy a large outside dog kennel and wrap the top and all around it with the chicken wire for extra security. I also plan on building a new coop or remodeling the current coop which I just kind of threw together cause I was moving.
Click to expand...
2-3 weeks since attack, during that time they may have changed where they were laying(out in range area instead of coop) due to feeling susceptible after attack.

So have you gotten any eggs since you confined them to the run?

Stress from attack, stress from change in pecking order due to loss of flock member,
and stress from being confined all of a sudden may suppress laying,
but they should start back up pretty soon unless there are other issues.
 
Stres can certainly stop them from laying and often for several weeks. The other thing to consider is if they are hiding eggs elsewhere. Sometimes after incidents like that they find hiding spots so they'll feel safe so you might be just missing where the eggs are.
 
Just throwing this out there....Could they be molting...I have seen a lot of feathers in the coop and out of the coop. I don't think they are fighting though.
 
Ryan2016 said:
Just throwing this out there....Could they be molting...I have seen a lot of feathers in the coop and out of the coop. I don't think they are fighting though.
Click to expand...
Absolutely they could be molting.....look closely and you should see new pin feathers emerging.
 

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