Poorly chicken

[Columbian]

I have six bantam hens of various ages but mostly young.  The two older ones are moulting, two pullets were laying and then stopped and two C18-month olds stopped being broody about 3 weeks ago.  The layers may be laying out as we have dense hedges but there have been absolutely no ‘egg song’ noises and surely not all four would be laying out.  The pullets stopped laying, they were laying every day, when I bought some River Cottage organic layers pellets, but that was weeks ago.  I’ve obviously searched everywhere I can think of and not found any nests.  It has been about 9 days since I last saw an egg from the pullets.  Any tips?  I’ve had one lay out before but I found the nest easily; there was one in this nest a couple of weeks ago but nothing since.  I’m running out of eggs and it’s August.  Ridiculous.

[Beantree]

Sudden stop to egg production could just be the weather or a visiting predator, or something perceived as one, like a local dog or cat. Occasionally it will be rats carrying them off and even rarer than that (but happened to us) someone was coming into the garden whilst we were at work and taking them. A lock on the nest box lid worked.

[Cat tails]

Mine are currently moulting. No eggs here either.

[DanTheChickenMan]

You cant rely on eggs, particularly from purebred bantams, the eggs are a nice extra.  If you want consistent egg production get Hybrids.

[Columbian]

On 8/22/2023 at 3:45 PM, DanTheChickenMan said:

You cant rely on eggs, particularly from purebred bantams, the eggs are a nice extra.  If you want consistent egg production get Hybrids.

They’ve laid well before, one laid nearly every day during the entire winter.  I understand that purebred bantams aren’t such good layers but I’ve never had an occasion when there have been none for almost two weeks.  With two 18-month ones and two pullets I would expect some eggs at this time of year.  

[Columbian]

On 8/21/2023 at 3:14 PM, Beantree said:

Sudden stop to egg production could just be the weather or a visiting predator, or something perceived as one, like a local dog or cat. Occasionally it will be rats carrying them off and even rarer than that (but happened to us) someone was coming into the garden whilst we were at work and taking them. A lock on the nest box lid worked.

There’s a badger around most nights (digs up the lawn) but they are safe in their WIR and don’t seem too fazed about it.  They free-range during the day in a large garden.  There is a large rat about which climbs into the run sometimes (no accessible food unless it can open the treadle feeder) so could be but wouldn’t there be broken shells about?  When the rat has appeared before there has been a lot of noise from the girls and I’ve not heard this.

[Beantree]

When we moved into our house in the UK the previous owner had chickens and complained of getting no eggs. A few months later, whilst clearing a very overgrown area just 5 metres from the coop site, we found a large pile of eggshells; perhaps 50. So if it is a rat taking them @Columbian(they tuck them under their chin and hold them there with one paw) the shells will all be in one hidden place nearby. Your girls may have become used to the rat?

[Columbian]

On 8/23/2023 at 7:13 AM, Beantree said:

When we moved into our house in the UK the previous owner had chickens and complained of getting no eggs. A few months later, whilst clearing a very overgrown area just 5 metres from the coop site, we found a large pile of eggshells; perhaps 50. So if it is a rat taking them @Columbian(they tuck them under their chin and hold them there with one paw) the shells will all be in one hidden place nearby. Your girls may have become used to the rat?

Possible.  The rat is certainly large.  I’ve yet to have the gun to hand when it has made an appearance.  Unfortunately, some neighbours have four chicken and when I saw the chicken in their confined area there was corn scattered over the ground from a broken treadle feeder.  I will renew my search of the undergrowth.  But, I still don’t understand why no egg songs and why not one is laying inside.

[Columbian]

Found a nest!  12 eggs for the missing 12 days (one broken).  How I didn’t step on it whilst searching, I don’t know.  Having removed the eggs but left a dummy one behind she has now decided to lay in another place, which I cannot yet find.  One of the new pullets has decided to moult - at about 9 months old I cannot help but feel that she is a bit older than claimed, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, the two new Australorps are delightful and very friendly.  The older two Wyandottes are having a hard moult and are very pale and wan while a Maran is laying while moulting but due to an old injury before I got her sometimes lays soft-shelled eggs and breaks them.  A flock is not without its problems however delightful.

[Beantree]

Our neighbour had a hen that used to lay somewhere else. She was very crafty with it. Used to stand around pecking at stuff and then in the blink of an eye she had gone. Lots of searching revealed nothing until we stumbled upon the nest by accident inside a large reel of old telephone wire. 22 eggs in it, so no hope at all of incubating them. You can't have a rat problem then otherwise they would just be the shells.

You must be right about the age because they don't moult until into their second year, so at about 18 months.

[Haze]

hehehe, well done Columbian! The hours I've spent searching my gardens for nests, they can be very crafty