[Pig Cat]

I wonder if anyone can help please. I have five hens who were all laying well throughout the Spring. There was the occasional broody one but eggs each day would range from 4 to 6. There were originally six hens, but one died a few weeks ago, and it was around that time that the others went off the lay. For a while we had no eggs at all and in the last week one has started again.

Could it be that a death in their midst spooked them or is this just a coincidence? Whatever the cause, is there any way I can encourage them to get back laying. One other thing is that they don't seem keen to roost in their house any more, preferring to sleep under a hedge at night.

[Kenilworth]

Have you checked for red mite? One of the symptoms for larger infestations can be a reluctance to enter the coop at night, not sure if it effects laying?

The death could well have spooked them, they can be very susceptible to any sort of change and the death will have meant a change in pecking order etc.

Could just be a case of the heat dont know how warm its been there and I'm sure warmer weather can effect egg production, they maybe sleeping under the hedge to keep cool?

[freckledbeck]

Red mite does affect laying, and if your hens are also refusing to go to bed that would be first on my list of suspects.
It can cause hens combs to become paler, and you can usually see a few mites when cleaning out the coop if you have an infestation.
(very small dots which itch!)

[Pig Cat]

Thanks very much. I'll check and report back. I did notice some earwigs in there the other day. Don't know if they could be a problem to the hens also.

[CluckyChicken]

we have hundreds of earwigs this year - never suffered before.  They just seem to get everywhere!

[Lindeggs]

There are a few possibilities that pop into my head!

1) Red mite.  Sounds very likely if they don't want to go indoors.  The mites suck the hens blood, and if there are enough of them they can make the hens very sick indeed.

2) What did the other hen die of?  Is it possible they all have the same problem?

3) Is their coop well ventilated and airy?  Another reason they might want to sleep in the hedge is either that the coop is too hot and stuffy or there is a build-up of ammonia in the bedding.

4) It might just be their natural time to moult, in which case they will stop laying until they have grown their new feathers and had a bit of R&R.  How old are they, and what breed?  Is there any sign of dropped feathers around the place?

[Pig Cat]

There are a few possibilities that pop into my head!

1) Red mite.  Sounds very likely if they don't want to go indoors.  The mites suck the hens blood, and if there are enough of them they can make the hens very sick indeed.

2) What did the other hen die of?  Is it possible they all have the same problem?

3) Is their coop well ventilated and airy?  Another reason they might want to sleep in the hedge is either that the coop is too hot and stuffy or there is a build-up of ammonia in the bedding.

4) It might just be their natural time to moult, in which case they will stop laying until they have grown their new feathers and had a bit of R&R.  How old are they, and what breed?  Is there any sign of dropped feathers around the place?

Thanks Lindeggs, today I sprayed the house all over for red spider mite - I did see some so hopefully they'll be gone soon. The straw bedding was changed a couple of days ago. Ventilation shouldn't be a problem as, up until recently, they would head in there at dusk regular as clockwork. I've no idea what the hen died of but she was ex-battery and about three years old. Possibly just old age? And I don't think they are moulting - they are just 'normal chickens' sorry, no idea of the breed but nothing unusual or fancy.  (that's the nearest thing to an embarrassed smiley as I really should know what they are!)

Well I am hoping that if the mites were the problem then it will slowly dawn on the hens that their house is now habitable again, and in turn they will feel happy enough to lay in their usual place inside. Thanks again for the advice. I'll check back soon. 

[Pig Cat]

Oh, just one more thing!! Seeing as I want the hens to go back in their house at night (just one of the five is now), do you think I should put them in there myself and close the door? I have become resigned to them sleeping out, but perhaps if they get back to the old routine of sleeping shut up and being let out next morning they will start laying again.

Oh dear, I'm starting to sound desperate now! 

[Lindeggs]

Good work on the mites - it sounds like that was the problem and the girls will be much happier in their own beds again now.

Yes, you can put them to bed and shut tehe door, but please make sure the mite problem is completely gone before you do that.  Another thing some people have found useful, is to put a night-light in the coop.  The chickens will head towards the light!  If you have a small solar garden light or a small torch that might work for you.  It doesn't have to be bright.

If your chickens are all the same breed as your ex-batt girl then they will be a commercial brown hybrid hen.  Technically that's not a breed at all, so you're right in not knowing their breed - as they don't have one! 

[Casey76]

Hi pig cat, it is perfectly OK for you to pick up your chickens and put them in to coop at night.

Even if your pen is apparantly fox proof, if they are sleeping on the floor, rather than up a tree, they could be a very big temptation for any predator to try and get them.

[Pig Cat]

Thanks guys. I went up to the run this evening to find one hen in the coop and the others trying to perch on a piece of wood under the hedge. When they were well behaved and dutifully trooped in to their coop at night they weren't interested in perching. So, I rigged up an improvised perch in the house and put them in there for the night. They seemed happy to perch so maybe this will make them happy hens again. Hopefully after a few days of me putting them to bed at night they'll decide to do it themselves. Contentment will follow and so will the eggs!

[Lindeggs]

The perch sounds like it will solve the problem.  When chicks are young they often aren't ready to perch yet, but as they get older (usually) their perching instinct will kick in.  That sounds like it has happened with yours.

Do make sure their perches are big enough for them though - chickens don't hold onto the perch like other birds, they just kind of squat on them with their toes hanging over the edge, so they need a nice wide perch.

[Pig Cat]

Well things have improved here. Three eggs a day from five hens so I can hardly complain. I can't be sure if anything I've done has caused the three to start laying again but at least the red mite situation has been rectified. Thanks for all your support guys.