Ticked-off hens stage an egg slowdown

I really annoyed my laying hens last Thursday. I was so focused on processing the broilers (lighting the propane scalder, moving the broilers to the processing area, and hauling hot water from the house for the scalder) that I totally forgot about letting out the layers onto pasture.

Needless to say, they were not happy and egg production has dropped. To top it off, I found two dead and eaten on Thursday morning in the cattle pasture when I went to let them out. It happened Wednesday during the day and I did not notice them when I shut them up Wednesday night because it was dark. Must of been a hawk or hawks.

I walked onto our back porch Tuesday afternoon, where we have a bird feeder visited by little songbirds, cardinals, and doves and not a bird in sight. Then two young red-tailed hawks lifted off out of the trees and flew to new roosts across the pond.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Ticked-off hens stage an egg slowdown."