So, we have fifteen chickens and we’re suddenly only getting an egg or two a day. I think their hiding them somewhere. I’ve looked high and low, in every nook and cranny. I can’t find the eggs anywhere! We let them free range later in the day, but it’s too late for all of them to be waiting to lay eggs out there. What do you think? Have any of you chicken raisers had your whole flock suddenly stop laying for no apparent reason? Help please! Leave a comment if you have any thoughts or ideas!
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to consider my dilemma! We eat a lot of eggs here… I’m going to have to go buy some soon!
Love you lots!
Michele
The Salem Garden 
Is there any chance that something else could be taking the eggs? We have greedy crows that try to steal eggs here!
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A friend on facebook just said that he thinks it could be a corn, rat or king snake… I really, really hate snakes! He also said it could be another small critter, which is what I’m hoping for!
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Michele – the thoughts of having to buy eggs after having fresh ones really was getting to me!!! I asked Charlie what he thought, and he too thought a critter of some sort. His first thought tho was that maybe “someone” of the “girls” was hiding the eggs somewhere to sit on them to try to hatch them. When I explained that there were too many chickens and too many eggs he decided on the “mysterious” critter instead. Hope all works out!!!
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Ellen, that was my first thought too but we haven’t found them anywhere.. I’m hoping the mysterious critter has four legs or that it’s the beginning of a molt. If that’s the case, the next photos of my chickens won’t be so pretty!
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Great Picture! I have only been getting one or two a day also. I read that it could be heat or right before they go to molt. I think it might be a combo here. There seems to be a lot more feathers blowing around….
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It’s funny you said that, I noticed feathers yesterday too.. hmmm..
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My guess would be that they are old enough to be molting. And when that happens eggs production plummets. they need all their energy to produce the new feathers. eggs will return
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would most of them molt at the same time Betsey? I don’t think we’ve had that happen before. I think we’ve only really had obvious molting once or twice in five or six years. thanks for commenting!!
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I don’t have enough chicken experience yet to speculate, but I just wanted to say, those are some pretty chickens! Good luck with your egg dilemma. 🙂
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Thank you FarmhouseK8 and thank you for visiting!!!
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We are having the same problem. No eggs very suddenly. We went to our neighbors and talked to them and they are having the same problem. Some people down the road are also having the same issue. We pasture 100% during the day. Have had excellent egg production. My neighbors feed regular feed, the other people do a mix of feed and free range. Its too early for the daylight to be changing their laying habits. I’m rather concerned since my two lil girls can only eat pastured eggs. Hmmm. We’re in NC on the border of TN and GA. no signs f molt. everyone seems very healthy.
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Thanks so much for visiting!! our production has picked up but it’s still on the low side, sorry to hear that your having trouble too. We chicken raisers really depend on our fresh eggs! I’m going to do a little update tomorrow in my ‘What’s Happening in the Garden” post.. I need to clarify things with my helpers here to be sure I’m reporting accurately 😉 Hope you’ll stop back and check in!
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