Where are all my eggs????

[SconnieChicks]

Recently in the past week or so I went from getting 4-6 eggs daily from my 6 hens down to 1 or 2 per day in the nesting box? Also I did find one egg outside in a spot by the garage. Could they be possibly be laying somewhere else?

 

[Makomd]

Tis that time of year, maybe you have some broody hens hiding their stash.

 

[A Chicken Owner]

What breed are your hens

 

[SconnieChicks]

I have a mixed batch of hens,2 RIR's and the rest unknown by a rookie like me. LOL

 

[A Chicken Owner]

You probably have broody hens. Are there hens with feathers missing around their breasts?

 

[GinaR]

If it isn't down to broodiness then another possibility may be that you have an egg thief - predators obviously will take them if they get the chance, and I have even heard of pet dogs carefully moving eggs from one place to another (for reasons best known to themselves!)

 

[sumi]

They could have discovered another spot to lay their eggs, or you may have a predator carrying them off. Other possibilities is that the hens are molting, sick, infested with parasites (worms or mites), broody or stressed. Has anything changed recently? Food, housing, did you add/remove a chicken from the flock? Have you dusted them for mites and/or dewormed them? Also, how old are your hens?

Sorry about all the questions! But as you've seen there are a few possible causes.

 

[SconnieChicks]

I did fence off part of the coop and added 4 new chicks right about the time this happened. Maybe that is it. I did get 2 eggs this morning. Hens are I am guessing are ranging from 1-3 years.
I have not dusted for mites or dewormed. I really do not think it is a predator or dog as I have been home pretty steady due to unemployment and keeping a pretty good eye on it.

 

[Kdt1961]

When I can't find eggs in the nesting boxes I look in the shrubs and bushes. Sometimes they just want somewhere different to lay. I have a few Black Copper Marans hens that are molting right now and they quit laying all together.

 

[SconnieChicks]

Okay so I was out looking for where the eggs may be and the wife came out and spotted one hen back in the swamp grass behind the coop. When we came back from town she was not there so I checked and sure enough 6 eggs.