Egg Mystery!

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Camarlie

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Hi everyone! I've been pointed to this forum with an egg mystery! We have 3 chickens who when bought (POL) at 22 weeks were happily laying everyday for well over a month. Then, on the same day all three stopped laying- 2 Sussex and a Limousin- we have checked for mites, increased food, changed food, changed bedding, set traps in the surrounding buildings with no sign of any animals, almost slept with them to see if anything is disturbing their sleep! and we are still eggless. It's 5 weeks now and still no eggs? :-)19 our other chickens are coming up for 20 weeks too and I hope whatever is affecting the 3 girls will not upset my others. All three are perky, active, nice red combs, no weight lost -

Any suggestions? I really need your help!!!!
 
Hi Camarlie, and welcome to the Forum.
I hope somebody else can give you some useful ideas, as this one has me puzzled too! What kind of hens are they?
Were the 3 who've stopped laying the only ones in the pen when they stopped on the same day? This might indicate that they were all badly scared at that time, and if they did have some kind of a shock, unknown to you because they weren't apparently hurt, it might possibly have put them off lay. (loud noises? dog trying to get into the pen? Being chased?) Chickens are very subject to stress, and this affects their hormones so their bodies 'think' that egglaying isn't a good idea. However, I would have expected at least one or two to have got going again by now.
I think something of this kind must have happened, since all were affected at the same time. Sometimes an odd bird will stop laying for no obvious reason, but not three all at once. Have they ever been wormed with Flubenvet since you had them? If not, it might be a good idea to do this, not that I think it will be a miracle cure, but it might tone up their systems and at 27 weeks this would be good to do before the winter, and every 4-6 months thereafter.
 
Have you a fox visiting at night Camarlie? Are they moulting? Is the bedding in the nest box damp? I'm puzzled as well to be honest. They won't lay if they are not happy (secure) or are ill (or moulting).
 
Could be a badger rather than a fox - or almost any predator that's upsetting them. Somewhere I've seen a thread about cheap movement activated cameras which you could set up in an attempt to see what's going on.
 
Hi, thanks!! We laid humane ( larsons traps ) with no animals trapped. We do have a overly aggressive cockerel ( he charges us too! ) and as there a lot of feathers I think he's attacking the girls. We've seen him really pecking at them. I wonder if this could be a factor?
 
Could you try keeping the cockerel away from them for a while, perhaps in a dog cage in their house if you don't have somewhere separate but if he is nasty natured I would suggest you get rid of him anyway, aggression normally only gets worse so you will probably have no choice at the end of the day, and you certainly wouldn't want to breed from him and have those genes passed on

But check them for body lice, part the feathers to see if anything is moving on them and look round the bum for evidence of lice eggs.

Were all the birds purchased at the same time, if not and you are introducing new stock this upsets the pecking order and will often put them off lay

Lasen traps only catch magpies and other corvids Badgers and foxes upset the birds if they come too close at night and squirrels rats and crows will take the eggs.
 
Its unusual that they all stopped at once and I would go with the suggestions that something has put them off but also it may be the daylength shortening and they have just stopped naturally?

Do they have any artificial light or just natural?
 
Just to check - are they confined in a run or do they free range.
I've sometimes thought a hen stopped laying, only to find about 10 eggs under a bush a couple of weeks later!
 
Had a thought Camarlie, whilst sitting out watching the stars in our new house in the far South. Our hens stopped laying once for two weeks. Very strange we thought as there was no apparent reason and they were in a predator secure run and coop. So I fitted a padlock to the coop and nest box. Very next day they were laying again! Simple answer really -one of the neighbours (and I know who) was coming into the garden whilst we were at work and stealing the eggs. Thereafter all our additional coops were fitted with padlocks and the strange 'stopped laying for no apparent reason' phenomena never repeated in the next 5 years.
 
Ah, that's why you've been quiet. Hope the move went OK.

Two legged predators are just as much of a nuisance as all the others. I think it would be a good idea to padlock the nest box/coop if you can.

Two of my Welsummers never laid again after the foxhounds upset them.
 
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