What killed my hens?

Yes I could do that.
I don't have a cockerel,so the hens eggs don't present that issue.
 
hens are still alive and well,however they are not laying-at all,except a sussex hen who lays every other day.It lays long thin eggs and we have only cracked one,it was nearly all yoke and the white was stringy and jelly like,whats that indicate and will all the eggs be like that?

I got another Call duck for the Drake and two lovely small Belgium Hens,they don't mix and don't like being put in the hen house.
 
Be patient - they've only been with you for about a week and need time to settle down and become a flock. Hens find moving home very stressful and often stop laying for a week or two or lay unusual eggs until they feel secure.
 
Yes, possibly, but odd eggs are common in young pullets before they really settle down and get the hang of laying. Not anything to worry about at this stage.
 
Its quite a mature bird.But thanks for the reassurance.
 
How old is she? If she had come into lay earlier this year, after an over winter break, and then she moved home to you, this would have been highly likely to interrupt her laying pattern until she settled down.
Was there a particular reason for getting an older bird? If, next time, you can buy pullets at around 16-18 weeks old, they will use the next month to settle in and mature, before coming into lay uninterrupted at their normal time, around 22-24 weeks for a hybrid. Also, you get the benefit of their best, first laying season, - after the first year, egg numbers drop off rapidly, which is why commercial hens are culled at about 18 months, even though potentially they have eggs left in them.
Have you sorted out the fox defences? He will be back, and if the birds sense his presence this will stress them and probably affect their ability to lay. With so many changes, and the presence of ducks if they're not housed separately, if will take a while for the flock to settle down.
 
I was thinking about the actual egg,being little white stringy?
 
Was it very new laid? When eggs are less than 48 hours old, the white does have a somewhat different texture from eggs that have had longer in storage. Really new laid ones have a sort of flaky white when cooked. People who have never tasted a really fresh egg are often surprised at the difference. Most shop bought eggs are over a week old before they get to the shops, many on sale are much older than that, and still edible, but as they age, the moisture in the egg begins to dry out through the porous shell, the air sac at the large end gets bigger, and the white gets more solid. Many poultry keepers prefer their eggs to be really new and flaky, but others like them still fresh, but a few days older and a bit more set. And, of course, every egg does have stringy connective tissues between the ends of the yolk and the shell, to hold the embryo in place within the shell so it doesn't stick to the sides. Sometimes these look quite prominent. Could the stringy bits have been those, do you think?
Of course there are other oddities, and you say this egg was a funny shape and nearly all yolk, so it sounds as if this was just a weird egg, and you will just have to wait and see what she produces in the next few weeks. There is the possibility that this hen has some kind of internal abnormality in her egglaying equipment, and you would need to find out a bit more anout her past history to establish if this has happened before, as she's a mature bird. Give the breeder a ring, perhaps, to tell him what's going on, if she lays another one like it, and see what he says.
 
I have constructed large gated area for the hens to be safe when Iam away in the summer,with chicken wire extending 2ft over the ground to prevent foxes digging.In this area I have a breeze block building which Iam going to keep the hens in,bu I have to enter it via another building,so I will have to knock a hole in the wall for the hens to get in and out.What size hole would I need for them?
 
With things like that its best to find a suitable door (hinged or lifting shutter maybe, ready made?) Then make the hole to fit.
 
alani said:
I have constructed large gated area for the hens to be safe when I am away in the summer,with chicken wire extending 2ft over the ground to prevent foxes digging.
Click to expand...

Are you using weldmesh to be on the safe side?
 
I found the body of my lost duck today, wrapped in some grass.It was unmarked.
They say foxes are just doing what comes naturally,but it killed my 4 hens and one duck and didn't eat any of them,so whats the point for the fox?
 
If the corpses are left where they fall, the fox will return to collect the rest of the kill when it's hungry again and when it's safe to do so. People who want to trap foxes often leave a body out to attract the fox back again. Unless disturbed, a fox will usually make off with one bird, maybe two if they're small birds like ducks or bantams, just taking what he can carry in his mouth. They're not worried about the waste if they kill more than they can carry, they just get into gear of hunting and kill as many birds as they can, before leaving with what they can take. As you say, doing what comes naturally. And if the fox didn't carry off any of your birds, it may have been a young one, or have been disturbed before he managed to get away with his kill. Obviously, a fox has to look out for its own safety - better hungry that night, than dead!
If your duck didn't seem to be injured, it's possible she died from the shock of the attack, or maybe the fox had her in his mouth and dropped her, having caused her some kind of internal injury from which she later died.
A fox will always return to where he has made a successful kill, and keep an eye on what's happening there, in the hope that the run will have been re-stocked with more birds. (As yours has been!) Then, when hungry enough, or tame enough to risk it, he will have another go, especially in the depths of winter, or in Spring when they have cubs to feed as well as themselves as parents. A successful attack means that fox, or pair of foxes, will defend that place as part of their territory, and will drive away any other foxes that try to hunt there. If they are killed, then others will move in, if the poultry keeper hasn't taken adequate steps to protect his flock.
 
Thanks Marigold for the educative reply.
I would like to assure you that the birds are very secure at present.Despite this,I also noted yesterday that the fox has been having a go at the wooden door and knowing away at the bottom.I have put a plastic strip there now.
 
That's good, I'm glad they're safe. Sorry to hear you're still under attack, but at least you should be OK now,
One way to prevent gnawing is to staple weldmesh flat over the surfaces at risk, so the fox can't get his teeth into the wood.
 
Your pen sounds lovely Marigold. Does the Aubiose not blow about, or have you got gravel boards around the bottom? What do you use for dustbaths?
 
The Aubiose sort of beds down after a while,it's quite heavy stuff and doesn't blow about. The run floor is lined with weldmesh, fixed round the edges to the mesh around walls and covered with permeable weed fabric, so as the mesh is 1/2"very little leaks out. With larger section mesh, I expect gravel boards would be a good idea. And in winter, most of the sides are screened with clear tarp to hold back the wind, which is a relief when you go in there, the difference is amazing.
I use the circular plastic base to an old large water butt, upturned, which makes a big enough dustbath for two at a time when needed!
 
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