After all we went through this summer and fall, I finially got my ladies settled nice and safe in the laying coop. Now nobody will lay. I can under stand that the abused hens might start a bit late and the ones that survived the dog attack still might be a bit rattled (aren't we all!), but even the three one year old brahmas that I caried over stopped laying. I havelights, the weather's good and I am feeding like I always have. The get out to play in their run and in the yard so there are lots of extra treats. STILL NO EGGS. I have not seen an egg, even from the silkie in over a month.
We are to the point of looking for a shaman or someone to come in and bless the yard. Maybe theyre is too much evil lurking around or something.
Anybody got any ideas?
Need help! Can't get an egg to save my butt!
Jyl, are you sure they're not hiding them somewhere? A month is an awfully long time to go without a single egg!
I think it is peer pressure--one decides not to lay, and the others realise they don't HAVE to and think it is cool not to...
But really it seems to be a big problem this year. I don't remember so many people reporting it in the past. I know chickens really aren't meant to lay all year and will naturally, if allowed to, stop for a few months during the winter. Perhaps the light intensity has dropped just enough to trigger them to stop...or maybe, like ovulation in humans, the cycles of one bird can influence the others and if they are marginal they will stop. Almost all my first year layers went broody this summer and none have started laying again--which is alright at the moment. They are mostly bantams and it takes a lot of their eggs (3 to 1 standard) to make cooking possible. So I am just going eggless for a while.
Jyl -it seems to be happening all over Kentucky. Nobody has eggs except for one Amish lady who has pullets just starting up. Mine (I have about 15 after one awful summer) are up to 1 egg a day... I've been wondering if it's a combination of the dark, wet summer and balmy autumn...but have yet to hear of anyone whose chickens ARE laying normally...
I can't believe I read what I just read. Hmmmmm, Silence is golden.
You need to keep up on your scientific studies, Hay.
My chickens also are either hiding eggs or are on strike. The broodies have the favorite nest boxes but, of course, aren't laying anything in them, the Jersey Giants are molting - no eggs. One barred Rock is laying; I recognize her eggs, but the others , who knows...I was blaming it on the hot dry summer, but it's nice now and I'm getting even fewer eggs.
Whatever it is -it's strange....
They definately aren't hiding them, there aren't that many places they could in my set up. You'd think SOMEBODY would give up and drop an egg.
It's a conspiracy, Scientifically known as a henopause! Hows that for science Catsy?
:) mine are laying normally.... granted they are playing easter egg hunt every day with me. I have to sneak out to find the nests, have someone distract the hens to the other side of the garage so they can't see.. then make off with the eggs to the house.. then come out & see them like nothing happened.. if we do this.. the nest stays where it was.. otherwise those silly Buff Orps will take off & hide the blasted eggs. MG's all lay in the nest.. at teh same time. They all crawl into the same nest box together & lay thier eggs together.. kinda reminds me of us girls all going to the bathroom together in school. ur safer in groups. I've got so many eggs I'm boiling 2 dozen tomorrow. there is 3 dozen banty eggs & 2 dozen normal eggs just from last week. :) finally mine are earning thier keep.
Hay, "henopause" I love it!
Hey, come on guys! Greykyttyn has all our eggs---let's go get 'um....
Henopause...nope, don't get it...:0)
Kyttyn, have you tried putting artificial eggs in the nest areas? That might satisfy them! That's hysterical. It's funny to read about but I'm sure not much fun to have to do every day. I'll bet it gets really old!
I've just been making the kids I babysit for hunt them up. I put a rock by each "nest" so the kids can find them. I distract the chickens with food, the kids take off to collect eggs. Its Easter every day! I really need to get some marble eggs to put in there tho. Just haven't gotten it done yet. Trying to get teh chicken coop built before the snow hits tomorrow. YEA! we're getting snow! I'm betting my chickens stop laying before long. I am not expecting eggs all winter like i did with my RIR's. but sure.. come see me.. come collect eggs.. then i'll put u to work on the coop. :)
my pretty green eggs I've been giving away to the kids. They are so thrilled to get a green egg.
How old are the kids you babysit, and what a neat experience for them! I'll bet they love coming over to your house!
15,13, 12, 10, 8 & 4. They seem to like it. The 13 yr old is helping me build the coop.
I have 40 something hens and not 1 egg for 3 weeks! I have always prided myself on having happy chickens... but nope.. not one tiny egg!
I've been thinking maybe I need to thin... they are so prissy..
A nation- wide chicken strike? I didn't even know they were unionized.
I think they have been "tweeting".
shesh.. my welsummer Coco was on strike today. We were building on the coop, hammering nails in to hold up wire.. she spent 2 hrs standing in the building with us being mouthy. My word.. can she yell. and guess what.. no egg from her today. Everyone else laid... but she didn't. i'm guessing we were too noisy for her prissy lil self.
Yeah, they don't like noise or any break in their precious routines, do they? This morning I ran out of the chicken yard to disentangle my labradoodle, Chouette. She was yelping because she got caught in the greenbriars when moseying down the bank - I suspect to investigate a particularly enticing bit of chicken manure that I had thrown over the fence when cleaning out the goose pond. I don't know if her yelping spooked the chickens, but after I got the pruning clippers and freed the pup, they were all huddled under the raised chicken tractor. It was either that or a hawk. I went back in and walked them over to the food, and they started eating again. Otherwise they've been laying well, and I think the young Cherry Eggers are starting to put forth. No Maran eggs yet; even last year's sole remaining Maran seems to be on permanent vacation. I think when we do in the Silverlaced Wyandottes she'll go into the freezer with them.
Still no egg. Where the heck is that shaman?
YIKES!!! Greenhouse did you give her notice? Maybe she'll run down to the local store and put one daily in the nest with her name on it. My girls have been producing very well and consistient. Westcoast girl's I'd say.
My pullets have never started laying though they are old enough. I had one dominique hen laying and 1 bantam laying before the move. Since the move 3 months ago my bantam hen layed 2 eggs and quit again. The last 2 days my dom hen has layed but the pullets have yet to start. It won't suprise me if they don't lay until Spring. I think getting all those roos out of the the yard got the dom hen laying again. There are just 2 in there now. One is a young roo and the other is my bantam roo. My duck has not layed in quite a while. She was laying well. She is an Ancona. (sp?)
Hay, if I knew how to sit her down for a heart-to-heart I would, but alas! Haven't seen a dark egg in the henhouse for months and months.
Greenhouse I have only two ideas that might work, show her a box of chicken nuggets, if you still get no response let her know the next meal will be chicken and dumplings. I love chicken and dumplings so if it comes to that give me a call when dinner is ready. LOL...Hay
LOL Hay you are bad!! i hate to say this but mine have been laying normally all summer and fall long..24 chickens and anywhere from 18-24 eggs a day..so i have no clue why they stopped laying.. is it possible that they abused ones are older than you think? maybe they are past it..lol..
oh yea and i love chicken and dumplins too..gimme me a call LOL
cindy
Hi my dear Cindy: Have you been reading all the stories about no eggs. I have been laughing all day over it. I see that Fran up in Michigan is experiencing the same problem. I have been getting a very good amount on a regular basis so not sure whats going on. Cindy I have read all the comments on facebook and you are a gem, I feel privilege to have you for a friend. I am horrible with the computer thats why I don't do farmtown, or farmville, without inst, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I do know your the best. Haystack
My dom hen gave me another egg today. I need to do some cleaning in my nests and get some fresh straw in them. How should I go about hanging a flap in the front of the nests to give the hens privacy? I don't want them to think I don't want them going in to the nests.
Dont cover the entrance completely..just hang a few piece of material or burlap over them..it can be stapled, just make sure they cant get cut on the staples..my girls arent proud, they will lay anywhere, even in the middle of the floor!! i guess when ya gotta go ya gotta go!!
cindy
thanks Hay!! love ya my friend..if ya need help let me know..
did you see ZZ's post on facebook? she was in her hometown and didnt have time to stop and see her son!! boy was she MAD!! i dont blame her..
hi
my were laying then they slow down
we got 6 older hen
4 of then still laying every day
we got 15 young one
we were getting 9 a day
but now it down to 5 or6
they are out in there chicken run
we are making a new hen house
but it going slow
because of the rain and now cold
elle
just went out and put the soup pot in the middle of the coop. Maybe it will inspire them......
They probably thought it was a late breakfast, and someone finished it off before they got a chance at it.
The kettle was empty. If they don't get the point, I'll have to post a warning notice on it.
No egg today. It was overcast all day. I bought 100lbs laying pellets.
hi
maybe they are molding
are older chicken are molding
and they are laying less egg
Mine are up to 2 eggs a day...it's been 4 weeks...
I'm suddenly getting no eggs too....I got my first egg, then 1 or2 eggs a day for about 2 weeks and then nothing for the last 4 days....they have 15 hours of light, I searched for a hidden nest be haven't found one. Could they have stopped laying this soon after they started???
Hay is the only one I recall purporting to still have laying birds. Perhaps it's a nefarious Poultry Propagation Scheme of the worst sort... Not sure which varieties he'd be propagating, but...