Not laying eggs?

[Courage]

I have three bantam wyandotte hens, and they have all decided to stop laying at the exact same time! They haven't laid any eggs for 4-5 days. I know why one isn't laying-she's molting. But the others have no explanation. My parents said maybe it's too hot? I shook them off, saying such a thing wasn't possible, but is it? It's been between 80° and 100° F this week.

I looked everywhere in their pen, and there is no way that they could be hiding eggs. I didn't find any eggs anywhere.

Thanks!

 

[Marigold]

Its quite understandable that they stopped laying in those temperatures. Making an egg every day takes a lot of resources from a hen, it also uses a lot of fluid being largely made of water, and in such crushingly high temperatures they are probably struggling to survive, let alone lay. I'm sure you're doing your best to keep them as cool as possible - do they have shade available all day as the sun moves round? Its vtybimpirtant t keep them well hydrated. A constant supply of water is of course essential and they do like it as cool as possible - put the drinker in the shade and if possible add ice cubes in the heat of the day.
Whereabouts do you live? Here in the UK we are feeling hard done by because the temperature has been reaching 90F, but we haven't got to 100F yet, thank goodness.

 

[Courage]

We got one egg, today! Yay!

I live in southeast Washington state, USA.

Yes, they have shade all day, their house is raised a foot and a half so there is always shade there, and there is a tree that blocks sunlight in most of their pen in the early afternoon, and then a wood fence that gives them shade in the evening.

About the water... Umm... Well, I have a duck that lives with the chickens. She loves to keep the water muddy, so I'm not sure how the chickens think about drinking it. I try to rinse it out as often as I can, but it still is muddy 80% of the time.

BTW, the water is under the hen house.

 

[Marigold]

Its quite a problem, providing clean water where you keep chickens and a duck together, isn't it? Could you perhaps get the chickens a proper chicken drinker, like these http://countryfayre-countrystore.co.uk/drinkers/metal-poultry-drinkers/cat_102.html
Where you have a reservoir of water and a fairly narrow rim like a little moat round the edge at the bottom, big enough for a beak to dip in but not big enough to get contaminated by poo? Its very important that the water isn't polluted. It should be clean enough so you would feel happy drinking it yourself, and for the same reasons!
Its very interesting hearing from someone in another continent, facing different challenges when keeping their poultry. How long do you think the extreme temperatures will continue? You are obviously doing all you can to help your birds but they do find it stressful, (just like me!) I expect they will return to lay when it cools a bit. Have they got a nice deep dustbath? Rooting around in one of these can help them keep their feathers clean and cool as well.

 

[Courage]

I have a drinker almost just like that. It doesn't get contaminated by poo, just the duck trying to drill holes in the mud.

Yes, the have dust baths in the dusty dirt that they made themselves! Crazy chickens...

The weather usually stays about like this until mid-september. Usually during the fair (last week of Aug+first week of Sept) is the hottest part of the summer. And we have to wear long sleeved shirts all of the time since it gives us a better herdsmanship score!

 

[chrismahon]

We had a duck causing problems like that Courage and worse. We had to get rid of him. Ours are not laying now as the heat has trigger moulting all round. First thing you see is wing feathers.

 

[Courage]

Actually, when one of my pullets started molting, we thought that a chicken had a snowball fight in the pen! There were feathers mainly from her neck area EVERYWHERE!!! She just now started to lose her wing feathers. I hope she'll be done by the fair...

I put a board on 4 bricks, then put 3 waterrers on it (one 1gallon, two 1 quart). Lizzie seems to only drain the water out of the big one, so the chickens constantly have two drinkers that are clean, fresh water!!!

So we've finally been getting eggs regularly, now. The weather is slightly cooler, but not much.

 

[Icemaiden]

I know what you mean about the snowball fight, Courage. For the last few weeks our run has looked as though a pillow fight has got out of hand... Millie, our black araucana, is going through the world's slowest moult!

 

[Courage]

Haha! Chickens are crazy... Ya, every chicken molts differently - some lose all of their feathers at once and look almost bald, and some lose feathers soooooooo slooooooow. I REALLY hope that none of my chickens are molting at the fair, as that is the time when most chickens molt and so lots get bad scores for breed judging. I think my molting hen will be done by then...