hens stopped laying.

glaswegian

hi all,i have eight hens running with a rooster,four ducks and a drake. problem is the hens and ducks have all stopped laying this past week,would this unseasonal spell of cold wet weather be the cause?

aonb

If ALL have stopped laying at the same time its very odd. The first thing I would suggest is that they got a very bad fright/shock - was there a fox or other predator about or something?!?

If you have ruled out illness, or someone stealing the eggs :eek: its wierd that hens and ducks would stop laying at same time. As you say the cold weather could be a factor, but its been this cold for weeks now... Rats, magpies and crows have been known to steal eggs - check that out too

Duiske

My parents have hens and can't say I've ever heard of them having an issue where all the hens stop laying at the same time. Happens to individual hens from time to time due to illness or whatever, but your situation with both hens and ducks is really strange. Could be something scavenging the egg's, but surely they would leave some evidence of this ? Any chance it is scavengers of the 2 legged variety ? :P
Are there other people near you with hens or ducks ? If so have a word and see if they are having similar issues.

aonb

my elderly neighbour - 94 years young - has always kept hens - she had 24 (sells the eggs) in a run than ran by a hedge on our tiny lane - in the middle of nowhere. Went out this morning to let them out of the coop/feed them and they were GONE! Coop door open and gate to run open. Stolen in the night. The poor old thing - can you imagine how upset she is :mad:

glaswegian

hi and thanks for your replies.i think you could be right aonb about the fox,it does seem a bit strange for both hens and ducks to just stop laying.although theres no way the fox could get to them at night(blockwork shed with a steel door) maybe the presence of mr fox outside the coop was enough to scare them.i don't think it is the two legged variety of scavenger as the hens dont stop laying until afternoon,and their coop is at the back of the house down a cul de sac,so anybody stealing would be easy spotted. sorry to hear about your neighbours hens,did she find the hero's who robbed her? i hope the birty dastards get a good dose of scour from the eggs.

thanks again,johnie.

cottager83

I have 2 hens and only one laying, they were at my parents place in the country but are now in the city in my garden, would the move Be the cause ofit? They are there a week now!any advice for keeping hens in the city!!

aonb

yes, any stress, like a move, will upset laying - hopefully she will start again now in the next couple of days. How old is she - they will definately slow down laying as they age. Is her comb/wattles nice and red (good sign of laying hen)

I dont imagine city vs country life will bother them much, as long as they have space to scratch, and are being fed pellets. Are you giving them the same food as they got when at your parents (another upset if not)

Be aware that urban foxes and hawks are an issue in the city. (and that city magpies may steal eggs :eek:)

mrs.machine

The hens could be eating the eggs. Were the shells soft? Did you find any damaged eggs before they disappeared altogether?

Qualitymark

In order of likelihood:

1) Stress - foxes prowling at night, dogs, bold boys, or hawk during the day
2) Egg eating - but you'd find bits of shell, normally
3) Egg stealing - put a padlock on the access

If it's stress, maybe put in a motion-sensitive light near the coop and leave your curtains open so it wakes you, and you'll soon see and drive away the intruder. Unless it's a hawk; in that case, make sure they have plenty of places to run for cover, and a secure run.

Throw a small handful of fennel seeds in with the feed mix for the next few days and they'll soon get back on lay.

mrs.machine

Has anyone actually had a hawk kill a hen? I'd be surprised. Sparrowhawks only weigh around 9oz. Their biggest wild quarry is a wood pigeon, much lighter than even a light breed of standard hen.

Qualitymark

I haven't, but I've had a small hawk land on the garden fence while all the hens scattered to the four corners of the suburban garden and froze under shrubs until it had been gone for some time.

martyoo

** created separate thread **

mrs.machine

Qualitymark wrote: »

I haven't, but I've had a small hawk land on the garden fence while all the hens scattered to the four corners of the suburban garden and froze under shrubs until it had been gone for some time.

Did it effect their laying? It's good to see that their survival instincts haven't disappeared as a result of domestication.

flutered

1st the cold weather stops them laying

2nd they could be about to go broody

3rd every thing depends on their age

Qualitymark

mrs.machine wrote: »

Did it effect their laying? It's good to see that their survival instincts haven't disappeared as a result of domestication.

It affected their laying for a couple of days - any scare will.

cottager83

Yes I am feeding them rolled barl and scraps, the same as they got in the country . They are there 2 weeks now and one still hasn't laid! The other is laying 1 to 2 everyday. I might have to resort to those fennel seeds but I don't want to force the hen to lay either! Any other ideas??

Qualitymark

Fennel seeds don't force her to lay at all! They just stimulate oestrogen production. (They don't always work, but usually do.) Also very good for bringing in milk if you're breastfeeding - just drink some fennel tea.

aonb

Cottager83, there are many reasons why a hen stops laying
- shes had a shock (moving house would qualify!)
- shes old (hens laying deteriorates from 18+ months. A hen is born with x number of eggs inside - I have a nearly 7 year old pure breed rhode island red that lays nearly every other day - still! - her sister hasnt laid an egg for years!)
- she may be starting a moult - even a small/little moult will affect laying.

If shes well in herself - i.e. tail not drooping, red comb/wattles, eating/drinking well, eyes clear/bright, walking properly (not hunched up or walking 'like a penguin' then I'd give her a bit more time before you 'panic'.
I keep saying this but LAYERS PELLETS are the optimum food for a laying hen. If you dont want to get pellets for her you could try
- boost her protein for a week or so with tinned oily fish (not in brine) or fishy cat food.
- give her some probiotic yogurt every day (in a little dish) - a tablespoon
- Get some Poultry Spice - but you would have to go to a grain/feed store for that, and I would recommend the Layers Pellets instead :rolleyes:

Qualitymark

It's unusual, but hens can get 'egg-bound' -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_binding
http://birds.about.com/od/breedingyourbird/qt/symptomsegg.htm
http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html (though I wouldn't personally be brave enough to try the solutions this offers; it'd be a good bird vet instead)

However, she's probably just moulting, or not yet on lay - I've heard that free-range hens are laying late this year due to the unseasonable cold in April.

OUTDOORLASS

I came accross this thread, whilst trying to solve a mystery...:cool::cool:
We bought 4 white aylesbury duckies last Autumn. Gave 2 of them to my brother, and kept the other 2. both sets of ducks started to lay in late March/April of this year. Mine are laying fine...not a bother...but the brother.s stopped early September. He has never had ducks before and did.nt realise that mine were still laying...
We went over there last w.end....to have a luck. The 2 most spoilt ducks ever....loads of water areas, best of grub, loads of grass/garden to root around. We sprayed them for mites just in case. If they had got a fright, surely they would have started again by now. No sign of bits of eggs, or any bits that might be left if a rat was eating them...
Any ideas....??

aonb

What is he feeding his ducks, as opposed to your two?
Food is one of the first things to check out for egg production issues - too much in the way of treats of non-duck-food is often the first thing to look at.
If they are not laying out or something eating their eggs, I would check first the food, then if they been wormed, then are they moulting.

Ducks tend to be more seasonal layers than hens. Too much corn will reduce the amount of eggs produced.

I have two Pure Breed Rhode Island hens - sisters - one stopped laying after age 1, the other kept laying til she was nearly 8 (they're both 8.5 now!!)

marizpan

Crows/magpies generally leave messy broken egg shells but I have seen them fly off with whole eggs in their beak.

In my experience rats take whole eggs and leave no evidence that they were there.

At this time of year eggs are more valueable to crows/rats etc as other food is scarce.