Hens not laying please help

[BigBlueHen53]

If a snake is getting the eggs you may well have more than one snake. How often do you check for eggs throughout the day? If you have snakes you need to check about every hour so you get the eggs before the snakes do. Do you notice an unpleasant odor in the hen house? That could be a snake. The hens won't lay in nests where the snake has been.

You say you let the chickens out all day, do you mean out in a run, or out as in, they free range? If they are free ranging they could have hidden nests. A camera might tell you what's going on. Good luck.

 

[jessvolvochick]

How do you know for sure?

Because they are free range in high chicken wire but usually I let them out and have the whole backyard but I’ve kept them within the area and unless they have laid and other chickens have eaten their eggs but there would be evidence of that no?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Because they are free range in high chicken wire but usually I let them out and have the whole backyard but I’ve kept them within the area and unless they have laid and other chickens have eaten their eggs but there would be evidence of that no?

Not necessarily, they will eat shell and all. I've seen them do it.

 

[jessvolvochick]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Many hens have bright red combs when they are laying and pale combs when they are not. That is a clue to the rooster that this hen is laying so her eggs need to be fertilized. When they are broody, molting, or otherwise shut down from laying for a while their comb can get pale. Like most things this is a sign that they "might" be. There are plenty of exceptions to this.

A common reason that are not laying is the molt. I know it is summer down there, it is not when they typically molt. But they are living animals. Typically doesn't mean always. Sometimes some molt out of season. Are you seeing feathers flying around?

A common reason they appear to not be laying is that they are hiding a nest. They can sometimes hide them really well in the coop or a bare run, let alone while out free ranging.

Is something getting the eggs? Your critters are different from mine. Many critters leave evidence behind when they eat the eggs. Snakes, canines, and humans do not. You may have others.

A snake typically eats eggs then disappears for a few days to digest them before coming back for more. If it is every day it is not a snake. If it were a dingo they'd probably be more interested in the hens that the eggs. However, a dog will often eat eggs and not bother the hens. Does a dog have access? A human usually does not mean a stranger. It can be someone playing a practical joke on you, that has happened on the forum before.

So what can you do other than Aart's butt check? Can you lock them in the coop or coop/run for three days? See if you start getting eggs. If you do that means you either locked them in from a hidden nest or you locked out an egg eater.

Try discretely marking a few eggs and leave them down there. If those eggs disappear you know something is getting them.

This is a very common question on here. Sometimes they are not laying for whatever reason. In your circumstances I don't have any suggestions that might get them started backup. Frankly I don't understand why they would all quit, though a few quitting isn't that unusual. Or they are laying and you don't get the eggs. It can be extremely frustrating.

Thankyou for suggestions I will hide an egg and see if it disappears but I haven’t heard their laying song for weeks now either and they always used to do that song.