Overnight change of habits

[MrsCordial]

Hello. Literally overnight my ladies have changed their laying set-up. One of my Calders lays very early, then the rest of the six by about 10.30am, with one laying as late as 4.30pm. Since Sunday, I'm getting one egg by 10am and fairly paltry daily totals.

I know they will go off lay into the winter, but what surprises me most is that their timings have suddenly changed so sharply. They're otherwise well and happy, still quite young (were at POL mid-August) and feeding well. Does this sound familiar/normal? If it's relevant I have two Calder Rangers/Colombian Blacktails, a Light Sussex, a Silver Sussex, a Bluebell and a Golden Speckledy.

[Scarlet]

Yes, sounds normal to me. although often young hens will still produce all through the winter just not everyday.

[skeggijon]

A sudden change in temperature / weather conditions can affect the flock all at once MrsCordial, though like Scarlet says, as young hens theres a good chance that you'll still get the odd egg through winter,

[MrsCordial]

Thanks Jon. One of them was in the nest box as I shut them away about 6.30 last night, but she's always been a late layer. We're down to four eggs a day from six hens, which I think is pretty respectable at this time of year.

[skeggijon]

Very respectable - you're obviously looking after them very well

[ancee]

I only had one in the last few days. Told them yesterday I was going to sack them if it carried on! Today I had four - one from each!! Hahaha �� also, do they need to be shut in at night, now it's getting cold? I have a friend who has chickens on her allotment and she never closes the door, so they can come and go as they please. She says you only shut them in if predators are a worry. Mine are very safe they have a large run which nothing can get into. I thought you shut the little coop door at night to keep them warm? During the summer I've left it open as they woke before me and when I went to let them out (once I got up) they were pecking on the door, sometimes I was up at six, but they were still wanting out! Any advice is appreciated ��

[veggiechicken]

I shut mine in every night. Just habit.
Rats can squeeze in through wire mesh so I try not to give them the opportunity to get into the henhouse.

[ancee]

Would rats harm chickens then or just Nick the eggs?

[Scarlet]

Personally I would shut them in every night. It is a second barrier for any predator.
Also they like to roost high so if they get out of the habit of going inside (not sure how your area is set up) when it gets dusk they start looking for high areas to roost, they may well end up ontop of your coop etc. not so bad in the Summer if it's safe but you don't want them out during the freezing cold snow and they are creatures of habit. Difficult to break once started. In the Summer if I've gone out for the evening if I don't manage to get back before it's dusk, young ones often go elsewhere to roost.They fly over my fence and roost on my runner bean frame

[kathyd]

Lol Scarlet! I know I shouldn't laugh, but I have such a lovely picture of your birds all lined up like robins on a Christmas card

[Scarlet]

Kathy, one night I got back late and the turkeys had flown and roosted on the roof struts of an old barn (the roof was being repaired) I spent at least an hour, stood on ladders with long poles taped together trying to prod them off they wouldn't budge. I spent all night tossing and turning thinking I was going to wake to the worst. Luckily the fox didn't visit.

[kathyd]

Rofl! I love this forum, it's always full of fun and games isn't it . I didn't realise turkeys could even fly!

[MrsCordial]

Scarlet that's quite an image I've got in my head now! They won't budge if they don't want to, will they? I tried to dislodge Snowy the Light Sussex from my veg patch gate the other day (I didn't want her flying in to the veg patch and visiting destruction upon it) but she dug her toenails in and was going nowhere.

We've always shut our hens in. We've lived where we are now for four years (kept hens for about eight). I've never ever seen a fox here, but the one night I forgot to shut the hens in we lost the two that we had then. Very sad as one was a real trooper and in her retirement would sit in DH's office chatting to him. Telling him she'd gone was horrible

I love the way this thread is developing, but getting back to my original point, my 5 yr old sauntered into the house with four eggs in his hands earlier, four of seven he'd found in a tree stump the hens like. All the eggs are fresh, but we've left one in there to keep them focussed. Laying in that stump is quite manageable so I'm happy with it. We had to part with half a dozen this morning to someone who helped with our car and for the first time since August i was panicking that we wouldn't have enough for eating and cooking, so the extra half doz was a real bonus!

[Glutton4...]

I have noticed a decline in egg numbers since the temperature has dropped. Part of this is due to rodent theft. On the days I get home early, I get more eggs. We back on to fields, and there are several gardens in the road with chickens in, so keeping rats out is virtually impossible. I'm now busy making it as difficult as I can for them to remove the eggs when they do get in. It is a constant battle, but just being around, and having the dogs out in the garden helps a great deal.

Mine get shut in their covered run at night (Heras-type fence with tarp roof to keep their shed dry) but I leave the pop-hole open since the auto door packed up. The door faces away from the prevailing wind, and is hidden from view of the dogs, to give the girls (and me!) some peace.

[MrsCordial]

Oh don't get me started on rats. We also live rurally, with few neighbours, lots of fields and all manner of animals kept in the field over the end of our garden (horses, geese, ducks, hens etc etc) and the rats are a pain. I keep blocking with bricks holes I find they've chewed into the hen house, but last weekend DH had to fill a giant hole with cement as the rats were digging underneath the hen house. Our hens live in a big old dog kennel that is the middle of three outhouses, all wooden. I don't begrudge rats their existence but i do draw the line at feeding them vast amounts of layer's crumb every night. We rarely see them in the day.