Misc Egg Shortages Finally Hitting the Barry Household!

[Barry Natchitoches]

Well, I guess it was just a matter of time before the Barry family, too, began to experience egg shortages...

In the last few days, close to 20 or so adult hens have laid exactly one egg in the last 72 hours. That is NOT one egg per lady. That is one egg from the entire group. Period.

Word in the coop is suggesting that the ladies have banded together, and gone on strike.

Scuttlebutt suggests that their list of demands include:

1, An air conditioner be installed in each of the two henhouses. They already have electric fans, but our heat index has been in the triple digits pretty much every day for weeks on end, and they are not happy with the endless, relentless heat. If they had a computer and an internet connection - as Dobbin does - I feel sure a couple of AC units would already be on the way...

2, A never ending ice making machine - preferably with an automatic dispenser that automatically drops crystal clean ice cubes dorectly into their water buckets.

3, An electronic bug zapper for all the flies that are hanging around their henhouse right now

and

4, Some kind of custom built gizmo for stopping two legged, featherless giants from stealing what eggs they do produce out of their nests. I heard through the grapevine that they are thinking something along lines of a red hot poker - which, of course, would be easy to keep red hot in the relentless, brutal heat in their southern henhouses...

 

[Wildwood]

A lot of people will disagree with me but my very old girls are still laying and it hit 107 today. It's the scratch or chopped corn. Mine have a high quality feed available at all times but unless I throw in the chops or scratch it's no dice on the eggs. I like the Big V brands but the big box stores don't usually carry them. I like their goat feed too.

 

[Border Collie Dad]

My 4 hens are hit and miss with mostly miss lately.

 

[West]

Our hens are mostly old and going down. However we are still getting around 6 eggs a day. Even at these high temperatures. 106 yesterday. And only about a dozen current layers.

I say about 6 eggs a day cause there's a/2+ really smart rat snakes I've have yet caught to relocate into our bone pile. However I just put four fake eggs in the coop, and two have already disappeared.

The grasshoppers are few and far between with in 50 yards of the coop. But it's a good year for hoppers and that's why I think our old hens still lay eggs.

 

[ginnie6]

scratch and the threat of freezer camp always get mine going again....you can also throw them some dry cat food. It has more protein and may get them going again.

 

[Sherrynboo]

Mine slowed way down but are now picking back up a bit. I also have to check the boxes before noon to get any eggs before the resident rat snake does. He likes to sleep in I guess

 

[WalknTrot]

You don't say how old they are, but sooner or later, the heat will get to them. Also, stress can trigger a molt, depending on age. Anyway, sometimes, the hens are gonna take a break.
In extreme conditions, (for me, usually cold winter weather, but hot summers qualify)...just keep them alive and kicking to fight another day.

 

[Weft and Warp]

I wonder if increasing the protein content in their feed might help things?

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I just got back from feeding my ladies, and I found out why the nests have been empty lately - I found a black snake - maybe 3 feet long - slithering into the main henhouse, presumably with a breakfast of fresh eggs on his/her mind!

Fortunately, I keep a 20 guage shotgun hidden in the henhouse for just such occasions, and, well, lets just say that he/she has had its last meal.

Oh, and I guess I committed the unpardonable sin before I shot it, because I failed to ask it’s preferred pronouns before I filled it with birdshot…

 

[Cardinal]

Still getting more than I can use. I'm freezing what's on the counter, and gonna start bringing some in to work, so that should help.

 

[nomifyle]

We still end up with at least 8 dozen a week, we have both young and old hens. If they don't get their laying pellets they slack way off.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Well, I found another snake later in the day. Filled that puppy with bird shot too.

I don’t have much tolerance for slithering egg thieves. I guess the two were related - makes me wonder if there is a mother hidden somewhere.

But in the meantime, I am checking for eggs every other hour, rather than just at the end of the day. And we are back to getting a usual amount of eggs.

Funny how neither Mr. Foghorn nor Bubba (our two resident roosters) told us about the slithering thieves. Bubba sure let me know about the skunk a few weeks ago!

 

[tech]

Black snake lives matter! LOL

Glad you got the lil' buggers.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Heat stress doesn't help neither does a calcium deficiency. Oyster shells to supplement? And could you have an egg eating hen? Maybe more than one? Maybe it's time to make some broth with the geriatric hens?

 

[Cag3db1rd]

I use Big V All Flock for all of my big Chickens and quail.

I sell quail eggs. Last week I got only 4 dozen eggs. That's not much for a 20 hen flock with appropriate roos.

The 2 adult hens I have are 5 years old, so I get a brown egg 1 day, a green egg the next day, then one of each, then no eggs, then back to one brown egg, one green...just glad I still get eggs.

I read on TG where ppl's hens stopped laying altogether when fed WM's chicken feed because it has so little nutrition. I guess the phrase "cut with sawdust" might be appropriate.