Unreliable egg laying recently, and smaller eggs...

[daisiey]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this -- this is actually my first time starting a thread!

We have a total of 11 chickens, all hens. 3 are of laying age, the rest are all around 11-12 weeks old.

We only just got the 3 older hens a few weeks ago. They started laying the very day after we brought them home and added them to our coop. They adjusted well and seem happy.

They laid daily, or every other day, for almost 2 weeks. Out of the 3 of them, i'd get at least 2 eggs a day. Then last week, i noticed that one chicken went almost 5 days without laying a single egg. I knew it was her because she's the only one i have laying right now that lays blue eggs. On that 5th day, her egg was smaller than her usual ones were previously. Then the other 2 hens followed suit, and we've only gotten 1 TOTAL egg this entire week, and it was smaller than usual.

What could be the problem? We've had weird weather... a whole week of NO SUN and lots of rain. Then the next week, HOT HOT HOT and all sun. I've read it could be worms, too. What do i do?

 

[silkiechicken]

When they moved, did their diet change? Weather, both cold and hot can mess up egg laying, along with the stress of moving. When I butcher hens that are laying, I find they have a week or two of eggs "primed and ready to go" so to say, so I would not put it past them to have had these first two weeks of eggs ready to be laid when you got them and the stress of the move with the weather has put a damper on them. Wet soil and hot weather can often incrase the incidence of cocci protozoa in the soil, but if they have not lost weight, it may be something else. If they are eating their feed well, looking healthy otherwise, and not molting, I'd give them some time.

 

[daisiey]

Thank you so much, this absolutely makes sense!

I'm not positive what they were exactly eating before, i know they were free ranged but i don't know what kind of feed they were given, so i'm assuming it's changed somewhat to what we're giving them now. But they seem to be fat and happy, and eating both their feed and lots out in the yard when i have them out.

I will give it time and keep an eye on them. Thank you

 

[silkiechicken]

If they are happy, healthy, and haven't lost weight, time will turn the egg machines back on. That said... if they do free range, don't put it past them to be hiding their eggs in nesting spots throughout your yard and in the bushes.