No more eggs

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chickenchicklady

chickenchicklady

Songster
5 Years
Apr 23, 2019
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Hello! I have a flock of about 12 girls. A couple Roos. I typically get between 9-12 eggs a day. But the last three days I’ve only gotten one egg. Is this normal? I know it’s normal to not get as many, but will some of them just stop playing completely In the winter? Or do I need to check them for being egg bound something?
 
chickenchicklady said:
Hello! I have a flock of about 12 girls. A couple Roos. I typically get between 9-12 eggs a day. But the last three days I’ve only gotten one egg. Is this normal? I know it’s normal to not get as many, but will some of them just stop playing completely In the winter? Or do I need to check them for being egg bound something?
Click to expand...
They could be molting, how many hours of daylight are you getting, be sure they get the most feed and fresh water possible, and clean out the coop often.
 
About 9 hours a day, five or take. It’s rather cloudy, most days. If they’re molting, should I lock them in the coop where it’s warm so they’re not cold?
ChloeSilkie08 said:
They could be molting, how many hours of daylight are you getting, be sure they get the most feed and fresh water possible, and clean out the coop often.
Click to expand...
 
Just went through this myself, so here is what I and the BYC community came up with:
1. Molting?
2. Less daylight and you're chickens are now adapting to it.
3. Egg thief?
4. Are they hiding or burying the eggs so you cannot find them?
5. Egg bound? Doubtful that ALL of them are egg bound, so like me, don't think that is the answer.
6. EGG EATER!

Egg eater was what my wife discovered when we found a half broken shell, I had been complaining about egg shells being cracked but not busted open, one or more of the chickens had been rolling eggs out of nesting boxes and burying them in the coop open area (actually kicked the shavings against the lip of the nesting boxes and using it as a ramp), and that there was yolk on a few eggs that I did recover.
We had been waiting till around 2 to 4 pm to let them all lay, but now (this past week) we are gathering the eggs early morning (7 to 9 am), doing a second and third check through out the day, and keeping golf balls in the nesting boxes to persuade them to stop the egg eating. We have been getting 6 to 8 eggs a day, which is closer to what we were getting (8 to 11 eggs daily) from our 11 pullets.

Hope that helps.
 
chickenchicklady said:
Hello! I have a flock of about 12 girls. A couple Roos. I typically get between 9-12 eggs a day. But the last three days I’ve only gotten one egg. Is this normal? I know it’s normal to not get as many, but will some of them just stop playing completely In the winter? Or do I need to check them for being egg bound something?
Click to expand...
Do you free range?
How old are you birds, in months?
My bet is that if it stopped all of a sudden, they have a nest somewhere out in range area.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.
 

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