What's the problem here?

[Nifty-Chicken]

All our hens stopped laying over the winter and for about 3 months we got no eggs. My wife finally decided she'd try anything and gave them red pepper flakes. We don't know if it really made a difference or not, but we started getting an egg or two a week later. Maybe just an old wives tale and coincidence and not sure if we'd do it again, but might be worth pre-seasoning a few hens with some pepper before going to the BBQ.

 

[Buster]

What's really throwing me off is that I have 5 speckled sussex hens with another roo that are separated in the same coop that have never even dropped in production. The introduction of these faverolles has really thrown things off in my layer pen.

 

[Beekissed]

I know this sounds improbable but I was having the same problem and had went out to the coop one night and was measuring vents. We had a long discussion about who we felt was going to have to be culled. At that point we were getting 2 eggs per day from 6 hens. The next day we started getting 5! That continued for a couple of weeks but has started tapering off this past week. Tonight we are picking chickens to kill tomorrow! Wanna bet the rooster will even lay an egg tomorrow!!!!

 

[Henrietta23]

Could it just be all the changes? Maybe it will take a little more time for them to settle in? I know, I'm grasping at straws too.

 

[CritterHill]

Aren't there some diseases that will cause a temporary drop in egg production with no other visible signs?

I thought I heard that in one of the MMH AE threads... But my knowledge is mostly hearsay so don't quote me.

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I haven't heard about that, but all these hens are over a year old and also one of them still lays nearly everyday, so I'm not sure what to think.

 

[CritterHill]

Ok, just to make sure I wasn't pulling factoids out of my posterior, I looked it up. AE causes a drop in egg production for only 2 weeks in adult layers, then all is back to normal.

Your problem has been going on for longer right? So I suspect they are just on strike. Moving the grill out next to the coop may be a good next step then.

That is the only one I had heard of, I just threw it out there, I dunno if other diseases could cause a similar thing?

FYI, here is where I pulled my AE info - from a Google Search on "avian encephalomyelitis egg production":

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/8/avian-encephalomyelitis-egg-drop

 

[Buster]

Well they dropped for a bit after I moved them- like an egg every other day out of 3 hens. Then about two weeks ago I stopped getting any at all from them and the beginning of last week my nhr hen quit too. So I guess I will see what happens this week. Thanks for checking for me.

Jared

 

[Ericasl]

I called my DH and told him we had to check chicken vents when he gets home. He is out of town. He said I have to come home and check chicken butts. I said yes you do, and I could just hear it in his voice he thinks I have lost my mind.
He thinks it is just the weather 95 degrees on day and freezing with rain and hail the next, then 90 again then a wind storm that lasted for 2 days, then rain again. He said just leave there butts alone.

 

[airmom1c05]

It's not just Idaho; central Mississippi here, and I think my hens are protesting the heat, or I would feed them lots of cayenne pepper in scrambled eggs, but it's just too HOT! Even Ruth, my egg a day Buff Orpington is only laying every other day, and Penny, the silkie Serama is skipping TWO days instead of one. Naomi (the other B.O.) is still broody on LONG overdue eggs that won't hatch, and Brandy (mixed head hen) is down from 6 a week to 4! Maybe they have formed a UNION!