Chickens aren't laying

[LC '92]

It's a Rat Snake, commonly called a Chicken Snake. They can eat eggs faster than your chickens can lay them. Two of the six snakes I killed last year were under the hay in the nest boxes. They lived there. When they got hungry they just poked their head up into the nest and snagged an egg.

I kill the ones I can find and leave glass eggs for the others. They eat the glass eggs and then can't break them or pass them so it stops them up and they die.

In Genesis God cursed the serpent. In Lyons Texas, LC '92 does the same thing!

 

[dmccarty]

JimmyJ,

Are the posts and rafters Eastern Red Cedar? If so how long have they been in/on the ground and how are they holding up in regards to rot?

That Chicken Apartment Complex looks real nice.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Thanks for the photos guys,

I like what I'm seeing, giving us some ideas.

 

[LC '92]

The corner posts are 4X6 creosote from power line transmission pole cross arms (scrounged at $0.00 cost!). The rafters are treated 2X4's. The roof is the roof from an old steel yard shed that was torn down (again $0.00 cost!). I had to buy the fence slats, the wire mesh and the gate. The rest of the framing materials were scrounged.

The four corner posts are set about 3' into the ground so it is a very sturdy structure. It took 2 days to build by myself including digging the post holes and setting the corners.

This was my second attempt at a chicken house. My first one was one of those chain link dog kennels that I modified. It only took about 2 weeks for the coons to get in it and kill all my chickens. This new one is coon proof and is now going on its 3rd year with out any more loss of avian life.

 

[chili]

Give the chickens some crushed red pepper in their food and that will get them jumpstarted laying again. Worked for me.

 

[WarrenF]

It's all George Bush's fault. He and Karl Rove with Dick Cheney implementing their diabolical deed. You know your chickens would be laying all right if they hadn't been snopping on your phone calls and all.......

 

[jimmyj]

Good one Warren.

The posts and rails are eastern white cedar. Our house is on top of an esker and the hill is all sand and gravel. The cedar has only been in a year but I have posts that are 10 years old that are still 90% solid, no creosote or anything. Once I made a fence of 2x2 lumber (to run electric) and dipped them in creosote. They lasted almost 10 years before I replaced them with steel. We are lucky here I guess with drainage. And I can get lots of white cedar for free which is a major factor as you can appreciate.

I'm glad we don't have snakes like that here!!!

 

[deere755]

Well I have added light, given them warm water, and changed the feed. Still no eggs. The hens are about a year old so I guess we will be having fried chicken LOL. I will get some new chicks this spring and see how it goes. We have never had this much trouble getting eggs before.

 

[schmism]

Well I have added light, given them warm water, and changed the feed. Still no eggs. The hens are about a year old so I guess we will be having fried chicken LOL. I will get some new chicks this spring and see how it goes. We have never had this much trouble getting eggs before.

they need 15% proteen or better feed, some extra light and fresh water.

it may take a week or so for them to get back on track. give them a few days to settle back into a laying rythem.

not to boast but my girls went 8 for 9 yesterday... (not bad for middle of winter i have been avg about half that)

 

[dooleysm]

It took a couple weeks of fiddling with the amount of light before I gave up and just gave them dusk-dawn light. From there it was several days before they started laying more. All in all it was a couple weeks of additional light before they started laying more. I wouldn't give up after a week.