My neighbor came to me with a question. For years he has kept chickens for eggs and meat. He currently has about 20 chickens and a rooster. Five days ago the entire flock suddenly stopped laying. He was getting about 11 eggs per day (more or less) and suddenly zero; today is Monday and not a single egg since Wednesday.
He keeps the chickens in a large fenced area with one guard dog during the day. I'm pretty sure the dog is penned at night as I don't hear him bark after dark. The chickens are in a raised 'house' at night to keep them safe. He said there has been no change to the food he gives them. We get our water from a common well. There is supplemental lighting. Weather here in Savannah, Georgia - the days have started getting longer and warmer, trees are budding, flowers blooming, fresh green growth everywhere.
I'm certainly no chicken expert but he wants me to at least keep an eye and an ear on things while he is at work. No problem doing that. If it's a two-legged predator I'll let him know and he will install a game camera to catch the thief. But perhaps it's something that is frightening the girls like a wild animal (cat/fox/raccoon/owl;hawk,etc.) or snakes?
Please, can anyone offer some suggestions?
