No Eggs

[chicken lodge]

Hi Everyone,
I am hoping someone can help me. We have 11 chickens at the moment and a cockrall, all seem very happy and nothing has changed in respect of food, habits, and well being.
But over the last 3 days we have had no eggs, we have been getting around 10 or 11 everyday, and overnight we have gone from that amount to nothing.
dont know what is wrong, the chickens are free range and have loads and loads of room to wander just under an acre in size, they have fresh water and constant food supply, we have not changed the food and they get mixed corn and layer pellets.
and they are up to date with being wormed.
They seem to be eating a huge amount at the moment, but apart from that see happy like normal.
Any advice would be welcom.
Ps the chickens range from 8months (ish) to 18months (ish)

 

[bex46]

If my hens stop laying i can bet there is a fox or rats near by which are stressing them, could this be a cause? if they are eating alot of food, maybe something else is stealing it instead!

 

[chicken lodge]

Hi thanks for your message, we have seen a squirrel going into the pen and stealing food, but i dont know how to stop it going in, as if i close the door the chickens cannot get into the run or house if they want to lay. we have not seen any fox keeping fingers crossed there is none about.

 

[Marigold]

What sort of chickens are they? If purebreds, could they be going broody and laying away from the coop, as they are free range?
Try shutting them up in the run for a day or two and see whether any eggs happen, and also how much food is eaten? (bearing in mind they will eat more if confined without access to free range.)

 

[chicken lodge]

Hi they are mainly Warrens, and they are all free range.
We have had a very good look round and they are not laying anywhere else.
We have tried shutting them in, but they really dont like it as they are so used to being free.

 

[chrismahon]

Bex has the answer I think. The squirrel will steal your eggs Chicken Lodge. Carry them out and stash them somewhere so you need curtains on the nest boxes and and air rifle. Usually stressed hens will stop laying, but first some will drop shelless eggs.

 

[chicken lodge]

Hi thanks for your help, You mention curtains for the nest box, could you explain what sort of curtains you mean. and you mention a air rifle, is that what i think you mean

 

[Chuck]

Just because you haven't seen a fox, doesn't mean there isn't one about.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Chicken Lodge. Curtains can best be made from rubber strip- I use Wilko's car mats slit 15mm wide up to 2" from one edge. I've tried plastic and sacking -they dislike plastic which blows around when they flap their wings and the sacking frays and gets wrapped around their feet. Wrigley62 has a thread running 'Pullets& Nesting Boxes' in which Tygresek has posted pictures of his rubber strips over the nest boxes.

The air rifle is just that. .177 is sufficient for squirrels ('tree rats' we call them or 'rats with PR').