UPDATE! 18 hens - ZERO eggs for 3 weeks...

[mudhen]

Rats or snakes, yikes! I'm taking the pitchfork and stabbing every square foot of the litter in the coop tomorrow. They've got to be hungry critters to take a dozen+ eggs a day!
I think I will also close the coop and keep the hens out in the run during the day tomorrow, and let my dog into the coop with me. He is a great mouser/hunter and he'll find whatever is taking the eggs if itis living in or has a hidy-hole in the coop.

I don't think the hens are eating them, at least I really hope not, but there is just no evidence of shell, egg, anything.

CEF - thanks, I think I'll get a timer and put a brighter light in the coop. Maybe that will help.

 

[MissPrissy]

They will eat shell and all. Check some beaks for dried yolk left on there.

 

[bethrich]

I am still in the same boat, as well. Not a single egg for 2 weeks...from 8 laying hens under 2 years old. I have started keeping them in the coop and run - so sign of eggs...not even a sign of the nesting boxes being used! Some are in a light molt, but this is crazy! I have never had any hens that I have had over the years just stop...all of them...for this long. All are extremely healthy. I have gone from 5-6 eggs a day to NADDA!

There is no evidence of anything egg-like in the coop at all. Will snakes/small rodents eat the shell as well? I'll do a deeper investigation when I clean the coop this afternoon.

thanks!
Beth

 

[MissPrissy]

It is very natural for hens to stop laying. Most hens are good for about 240 - 285 eggs a year. That leaves a lot of down time. If your chickens are the same age and were raised from chicks is seems even more normal they have the same cycle.

I know we all love the eggs we get but we have to keep in mind that hens will not lay an egg every day over the course of a year. They have a lot of down time at this time of year because their bodies need it.

Even a light molt can stop the laying. It takes a huge amount of body enegery and protein to regrow winter feathers.

Some old farmers might even say this is a sign as to a very bitterly cold winter coming in. The animals do know how to prepare for it far in advance of us humans.

 

[MamaDragon]

For what it's worth -

Old Farmer's Almanac says that we're in for a colder winter than the past several ones. I'm glad the weather is finally going to get cold enough to kill off all the nasty bugs around here (mosquitos, fleas, ticks, etc), but it's not gonna be easy on the outdoor animals. No insulation in the coop, but I'm stringing out a heatlamp for the brooder babies (6 - 5wk olds), and the rest will get to "share the wealth".

All 11 of my hens have quit laying as well. I get 0 - 1 eggs a day where 4-6 were the norm, and 7 or 8 twice a week or so. 5 of my hens are Production Reds, 3 of them had just come into lay. Dependable for an egg a day. The ones that are still laying are the "two old biddy's" - the two oldest PR's, and a Barred Rock. My broody leghorn had resumed laying after raising a clutch, layed about 10 days, then stopped completely.

A friend and neighbor has 50 hens, and she went out and had 3 eggs! At first she thought that someone had been stealing eggs while she was at work, but the next day, while she was home, she got the same results, 5 eggs.

The man down the road has pulled up his "Eggs - for Sale" sign from his yard, so I guess he's having the same issue.

Winter is definately on the way, and it may be a Bumpy Ride!

Kathy

 

[Scrambled Egg]

This is just the habit for my spoiled hens and may mean nothing but for mine, the warmer they are at night in cold weather, the more they lay. I guess conserving body heat versus egg production wins out if they are too cold. I close them in their coop and I have the red "lizard" lights (in the lizard section at petsmart and emit either 50 or 100 watts of heat..soft red glow so no night time disturbance). I give them scratch in the evening and shut them in their coop with the lizard lights and from 11 hens I got 9 eggs yesterday with 40 degree overnight temps..averaging over half of them laying everyday. I do keep layer mash and water in their closed up area at night too. Just a thought but may be worth trying. Good luck

 

[bethrich]

I am getting out the heat lamp today, espcially since our nights are now dipping into the 20's.

Beth

 

[mudhen]

MissPrissy, that makes sense. They are all about the same age and I still see a few feathers in the coop each morning, so maybe they may still be going through a light molt. I've been hearing and seeing signs of it being a colder winter coming, of course the animals will be reacting naturaly.
Thank you. At least I know now it is not something I've done wrong.

Scrambled Egg and bethrich, I also keep feed and water in their coop at night. But I have my heat lamp (red also) set to go on when it drops below 50 degrees. Maybe I'll bump that up a little.

MamaDragon, I'll also be glad to have a cold enough winter to do in these extra busy bugs! (Stink bugs invaded this fall! )

 

[mudhen]

Just wanted everyone to know how grateful I am (again!) for your help.
You were all right (of course!)
My girls didn't start laying again for another week or two after I first started this thread, then I began to get 1, 3, then 4 eggs a day until last week, when it jumped to 6, 8 then a dozen.
Yesterday: 18!

While I did not increase the lighting in the coop, I did increase the protein in their feed and doubled up on their treats. The heat lamp got bumped up to go on when temps drop to 55 degrees (had it set at 50 degrees before).

So thanks all again, and by the way, we had snow showers here yesterday, a first this time of year for this area in over ten years. It is going to be a cold winter... my chickens said so!

 

[mudhen]

I should have kept my mouth shut... only two eggs today