[SurreyLass]

You might have read my other post about my new girls I got on Saturday.
After my big girls had laid on Saturdau, they moved into their new house. Both laid beautifully in the nest boxes on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, only one laid, and again today ..................... they both seem their normal bonkers selves, just the lack of egg!

Any advice please?

[Helenaj]

Have they started to moult? If not, then it could simply be that they are settling in and should be fine after a week or so. The eggs that have been laid may already have been in the pipeline, so to speak.

[Lindeggs]

Any change can affect laying.  Some girls seem especially sensitive wee souls and will go on strike for any reason - change of food, new introductions, change of litter in their nest box...

When I went on holiday for a week, my pullets stopped laying for two weeks in protest. 

[Helenaj]

Any change can affect laying.  Some girls seem especially sensitive wee souls and will go on strike for any reason - change of food, new introductions, change of litter in their nest box...

When I went on holiday for a week, my pullets stopped laying for two weeks in protest. 

They obviously missed you a lot - or were peeved they couldn't come with you!

[SurreyLass]

I think perhaps the problem isnt quite not laying - when checking the nest box yesterday I saw a bit of gloop, emptied the bedding and took the slatted flooring up to discover lots more gloop (yellowy so looks like yoke and white) but I could only find the smallest bit of egg shell - looked paler than usual, but not too soft or anything ........

Lets just say that I have my beady eyes on them this morning - want to find out who it was, and why!

[SurreyLass]

Now they are really confusing me.

After discovering the 'eaten' egg yesterday and giving the nest boxes a good clean out, I thought that I hadnt put enough bedding in there, so I made it all nice and cosy redy for this mornings activity, and set myself the task of finding out which madam was having the trouble.

Anyway, they were both up in the house, and had been for a while, so I popped out, and opened the roof to discover top hen laying on the house floor - (nice egg mind!) - since Sunday morning they have laid in the nest boxes.

What on earth am I doing wrong all of a sudden? I want to get it all sorted before I integrate the 2 new girls who are currently in the run next to the main one.

[Sassy]

You don't say how old your new girls are. If they are new to laying I would say you have done well and there are ususally one or two anomalies when they first come into lay. Also they can be caught by surprise and lay where they are. Whatever age they are the move could upset them and again I would say you have done well. It sounds as though it is all settling down anyway.

[SurreyLass]

Thanks for replying - these are my existing girls that are messing about - they have been laying since April (beginning and mid). The 2 new girls are still a few weeks off yet.

Interestingly, top hen is the one who just laid on the floor this morning, and other hen (who has done a few 'interesting' lays over her laying time) is up there now, but top hen has just gone up ....................

[SurreyLass]

Bless her, she has just laid a MASSIVE double yoker - I reakon yesterday's was a softie and she destroyed the evidence! Hopefully normal service will be resumed tommorrow!