The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Roxy on June 09, 2010, 05:46:27 pm
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From getting around 40 per day, we are down to a dozen .....usually swimming in eggs at this time of year. All the hens look in lay too. Could be laying away, but that many doing it?? Taking into account the broodies, I am still puzzled.
My neighbour called this afternoon to ask if we were getting many eggs. She too has had a sudden reduction. We did consider crows, taking them to feed their young in the nest, but even so, they would not take all that many surely???
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we've had a great reduction aswell. I've put it down to the strange weather? yesterday when it was pouring down wiht rain all day I think we got about 3 eggs out of the 11 hens! today, bit of sunshine and I had 9.
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Red mites?? Rats??
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I was going to suggest the odd weather too.
(we've not had a reduction, but then our choocks are abit slow!!)
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I've got some moulting already maybe yours are starting?
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I have that problem too - 5 girls, one of them broody just now. No eggs for 2 days! One a day for a week before that ......
I was wondering if it was to do with the fact they seem to have gone off their layers pellets?
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I have that problem too - 5 girls, one of them broody just now. No eggs for 2 days! One a day for a week before that ......
I was wondering if it was to do with the fact they seem to have gone off their layers pellets?
Magpies!!!!
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Mine have had a fright recently, I've also changed their water supply, used to give them water from the water butts (rain water) but with the dry spell I had to use tap water and they've been drinking from the pond.
I put it down to the fox/badger problems.
I did keep them in a couple of hours longer yesterday as well as giving them their water from the water butts again and had twice as many eggs in the nest boxes. Maybe they're just laying elsewhere but I haven't heard much of the tell-tale clucking which gives it away that they're laying an egg... I'm also going to treat them to some wormer and spice laced porridge this morning, see if that helps!
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Hi Roxy, i too would suggest the weather ours have dropped right off although they are confined to barracks because of the foxes at the mo,However never underestimate the crow,we have a crow family that actually go into the sheds and laying boxes and take them,i once left a dozen eggs in a saucepan outside and forgot to take them home,20 mins later i returned to find the bloody crow flying off with the last one, >:( they are too very crafty and will sit in the trees watching and waiting for us to leave,one day i will get my revenge, ;)
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oh, Bev, thats so annoying when the blooming crows (and magpies) take eggs. Yesterday, in one of the coops, two eggs had been pecked. I suspect that it may well be the birds, as there are nests in the big trees, and I can hear a lot of squawking. I bet they are listening for the cackle of the hens laying, then swooping down, pecking a hole so they can carry the eggs back to the nest and the babies .....an easy meal!!
I have noticed that the eggs laid in the barn are more plentiful, that may be because the hens go under the door, and its not an obvious route for the birds.
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Well our bl**dy crows are so big they pick the eggs up whole and take them,they are as big as vultures,LOL. mind u on lovely free range eggs every day no wonder, :chook:
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could be pressure and thunder will nock them off for weeks
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Would jackdaws steal eggs? - we have about 10 hanging around all day - don't know how to get rid of them.
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Jackdaws, crows, magpies - all the same to me - thieving, murdering Bs
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I thought of getting a water pistol - would that get them to move on? Anyone else got jackdaws bringing red mite and stealing eggs?!
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If eggs were being stolen would you see evidence of it or do they fly off with them whole?!/! V alarming .. loads of magpies and big black buggers ( no idea what species) have taken to lurking around my chickens .. >:((
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They peck a little hole then lift the whole thing, Val. ::)
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Saw a magpie yesterday sitting on the pen roof watching my little bantam chicks. It would have lifted one, given the chance. Thats why they are all in runs until they are big enough to be safe from the birds. We had some in the barn once, it broke my heart when I saw a crow flying off with a chick in its claws. It had swooped down and grabbed it. Although the door was closed, I had forgotten the high pickinig hole for the hay was open. How the crow knew the chicks were there I don't know. Maybe it heard the cheeping.
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Well, all our eggs went missing today even the ones under the broody hens, not a trace left behind. It was done during the night tho and the hens are locked in a stable at night, there are holes in the stable walls, never seen a rat here in many years and our jack russel has a mouse or a mole on the doorstep every morning so sure there would be a rat there if any were about, any ideas anyone?! Cheers
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I would still say its rats.I know we have some under one of the sheds, and the cats cannot get under to catch them. Every so often I put down a lot of poison - well out of reach of the cats etc. - and clear them all out. It costs a fortune, as they eat nearly a full large tub, before they are all sorted.
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I am horrified to learn crows steal chicks!!! :o :o >:( >:( :o
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Strange this as I was just about to post on something similar! Our hens have dropped off egg production and begun eating thier eggs, also, egg shape,hardeness of shell and size are irregular I thought it was just bad luck but two different nieghbours have come to me separately to say that the exact same thing is happening to thiers!! My only suggestion is that there must be something lacking in the ground, probably due to the bad winter we had, I have reintroduced poultry spice and battles poultry liquid on altenate weeks, this seems to have improved the egg shells and shape, they always have grit available so I know its not that, also they are in a large paddock and moved regularly so it is not that either. Its odd that it is happening widescale.
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Hiya just put this up on a different thread. We have had a drop from about 30 a day to 11 a day. Can't find a reason girls lay in a stone brick stable with only one way in and out, will have watch out today for crows etc, Never thought about crows doing that........
Lavinia
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I've just had to tell my regular wednesday dozen customer that I'll have to give him half wed and half thurs!! we haven't eaten an egg ourselves for weeks because they've either gone all weird and broken or they've been sold to our regulars who I don't want to let down.
numbers have declined by about 25% here :-\
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I am having the same problem with my girls. The trouble is that I can't tell who is laying and whose not, nor who is laying the shell less egg that I find every morning. What is this liquid that has been mentioned?
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The liquid is Battles poultry liquid, you should find it at your local countrywide shop etc, It contains minerals like copper and magnesium etc, the poultry spice is the same sort of thing but I always find that with the spice even if you mix it with the feed a lot is left in the bottom of the bucket and does not coat the grain or pellets very well. The liquid goes into thier drinking water so you know they are definately getting it. I would say it is having the desired effect as today I picked up 7 eggs from 14 birds where last week I was only getting 1 or 2 not to mention that there is improvement in the egg shape and shell.
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The liquid goes into thier drinking water so you know they are definately getting it.
.... except our little b**gers who refuse to drink for days!!
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Did i hear water pistol, God bless America, take my pump action 12 gauge & have lots of fun & my short haired pointer molly loves em, squirrels tooo.
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Hello Troops,
just wondering if your egg laying has returned to normal yet?
Captain
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Yes, about two weeks ago, things picked up ......and we are getting plenty of eggs. Unfortunately, on the days I work, the magpies or crows sneak in, and we end up with two or three pecked eggs. Someone said to me, they thought it was all the hot weather, put the hens off lay? Seems strange that so many of us, had no eggs at the same time, so maybe thats right then.
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We had a reduction in laying last week, and thought back to this thread. I cleaned out the chucks at the weekend and found an infestation of red mite. I was completely gutted as I have OCD when it comes to the hygiene and cleanliness of all of my animals!
I then set about ridding the place of them, 5 hrs, a large tub of vaseline, a bottle of paraffin, two tubs of the insecticide red mite powder and a jet wash, and I've nearly cleared the place of them. A couple of days and I'm finding a couple on the bottoms of the perches but they haven't got anywhere to go with the thanks of the vaseline.
Like I say, I was totally gutted when I found them but hopefully I've got rid of the majority of the blighters!!! :censored:
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Out of about 30 hens I am getting 15-18 a day, a few of my light sussex seem to have gone broody at the same time but that only accounts for about 4 so not sure what the other girls are playing at, have given them a stern talking to this morning along with some tonic in their water so hope one or the other does the trick. Trouble is 80% are brown hybrids of varying ages so not sure who is past it and who is not.
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Our egg production has gone down but not too sure why and I cannot find where Lilly :&> has put her daily egg ??? We had to go and find an extra egg for breakfast this morning as someone wanted scrambled and I only had 2 (my OH had sold the rest)
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Never had red mite in my flock, and count myself very lucky. But ....was horrified a few weeks back, to see the little blighters on the door of a coop. I have the old fashioned proper hen sheds, but someone gave me some hens and bantams, and offered me the hens home for free. Obviously I took up their kind offer!! Its one of the ones, with a mesh run attached, little house above, and two nest boxes. Only a few banties go in there, so never much bedding or dirt in. I am not wondering if these sort of coops are more prone to red mite. Like I said, never had a problem before in my old style sheds. Anyway, coop, and occupants fully dusted and cleaned, and the red mite seem to have gone.
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Diatom earth, in the coop, on the hens, in the feed bloody brilliant stuff! I've not had any mites apparently they're cracked by it. Even pop where they dust bathe so they cover themselves in it.
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Just bought some off ebay so will be dusting everywhere this weekend.