Chicken Question

[Nyboy]

No fried chicken anymore shame

 

[AMKuska]

Dew - when my chickens abruptly and mysteriously stopped laying, I blamed everything from possibly neighbors helping themselves, to rats, to pretty much everything else under the sun. Like you they were two years old, so didn't think they'd stop producing.

I discovered that even though I'd checked the pen etc. 1,000,000 times in search of eggs. (Seriously, its a run and coop. How can you hide an egg in that?) It turns out, my chickens are way better at hiding them than I am at finding them. I eventually discovered a HUGE nest with over 60 eggs in it. -.-

Bonus: One of my hens is apparently flight capable, and it turns out she was flying through the open side of the run, over into my neighbors yard, and making a deposit behind a piece of plywood leaned up by her house. The gardener found the stash and came over to ask me if they were mine. Gave her a finder's fee of a dozen (fresh, clean) eggs, and she went from annoyed to excited.

I doubt its your chickens, as mine are now 3 and still laying like champions.

 

[Beekissed]

No fried chicken anymore shame

We never really did fried chicken....big family, need to make proteins stretch. Mostly we made our meats into soups or stir fry or some other one dish meal that would feed many people. You get in the habit of that you don't ever really get out....we still make our proteins stretch, even though it's just Mom and I now.

 

[ducks4you]

I was wondering about that, too, hiding the stash. Last year I had about 20 layers and all of the sudden they seemed to stop laying. I had them in an outside dog enclosure (20 x 10) and they had a wooden "tent" of sorts. They were digging underneath it and nesting there, and I pulled out 50 eggs at one time. They lived with a rooster. UNfortunately, some were 1/2 developed chicks that had been abandoned.
My dogs ate good that month.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Dew I've about run out of ideas. Sometimes if the hens are stressed they can quit laying, maybe even going into a minimolt. Have you seen extra feathers flying around? That stress could come from them running out of water for a period f time, maybe a predator scaring them.

Change is sometimes a problem. They don't like change. Did this problem start wen they went to a new coop? How long has that been? You said Monty has to take care of a hen with a crop problem. How long ago was that. If she was a fairly high ranking hen the pecking order may have been shaken up. They should get over this type of change within a week or two if that is the problem.

Did something else changed about the time this started? How long has this been going on?

 

[MontyJ]

I would like to see them processed. I want to see how strong I am.

Mary

I'll be butchering 19 CX in a couple of weeks. I can video the process if you like. I'm not heartless, but it's just another chore around the homestead to me. But back to Dew's problem...

I highly doubt anything is stealing the eggs. The coop is brand new and there's no openings for even a mouse to get through. The hens do look healthy, are not molting, and are eating well. This leads me to believe that they are hiding eggs under the new coop. Dew doubts that it's possible, however, one of the Australorps was found in the yard the other day with no explanation for how she got out. The fence is 6 feet high and I have never witnessed any of the hens even coming close to clearing it. The run is simply not long enough for them to get the distance they would need to get to that height. I believe she found a way under the coop, which is blocked with wood and concrete blocks.

Armed with Ridge's excellent advice I will investigate everything. If I find no hidden eggs, I'll build a nest trap. I may even borrow some of Dew's lipstick for a test...wonder how much trouble I would be in if I didn't tell her and put it back in her make up case? I shudder to think...

On the other hand, if I didn't tell her, it would be like me kissing a chickens butt by proxy.

Maybe I'll just hold off on the lip stick thing.

 

[dewdropsinwv]

@Ridgerunner The hen we had to cull from the flock was back in late March early April. It's possible they have found a hiding place that I havent found. If I don't get called to work tomorrow I will go out and observe what they are doing.

@MontyJ Do you REALLY want to take that chance with my lip stick????

 

[Smart Red]

My first year Australorps could easily fly over 4-foot high fencing. No big start needed either. Where older hens seldom fly (unless they are one of the flighty breeds) several of my one year olds have made their escapes.

@MontyJ, you are in a quandary. To buy a lipstick and get caught with it or to use Dew's? Neither sound very viable. Your best bet is to hook up with an Avon rep and get a few sample sticks. Small enough for one or two uses and cheap enough to toss when you're through.

 

[baymule]

There actually is a lipstick made just for these type situations. It is called Poultry Pucker and comes in several colors. Eggbound Yellow, Peek A Boo Pink, Rooster Red, Beaky Blue, and Poo Purple.

For only $19.99 plus shipping and handling of $9.99 you can order all the colors!

Send check or money order to:

Poultry Pucker
1234 Wyandotte Drive
Chickenfoot, West Virginia, 00001

 

[ninnymary]

Monty, thanks for the offer of videoing the process but I want to see it in real life. I know if I check around that I can find someone local.

Mary