Hi There.
We're in a suddenly desperate situation with our laying flock on our farm, and any help and advice is much appreciated.
We have 59 laying hens, most of them are 1 YO BSL, RIR, and CR-X. 14 are 1.5 YO RSL, and there is a handful of marans, ameraucanas, 1 YO and 5 Heritage hens which are 3.
Our typical daily egg count is in the 40s. We have a small egg CSA of customers who we are obligated to provide eggs to, and we sell at our farm gate.
We have a Salatin style "Eggmobile" and are rotationally grazing on pasture within an electric poultry net. The mobile is moved once a week. The hens have been in this system since the first week of April. The birds are serviced twice daily with feed and water. We feed Homestead Organics certified organic feed which contains a high grade mineral premix and a probiotic (I think this is known to be the best certified feed avail. in Canada). We strictly follow the Canadian Organic Standard.
There are two Ameraucana roos in with the group, and they are pretty well mated, some of the hens have feather loss on their backs from the roos. There is a sub-group which lives in the winter coop and free ranges, just 5 hens and one roo. No feather loss.
Nearly all of these hens have ceased to lay over the past two weeks. 4 hens are broody, but that shouldn't make this happen. Today I gathered 8 eggs total.
Any help or advice is much appreciated, we are so stressed, I'm sure you can imagine, the cost to support this group Organically when they aren't laying. (no, switching from Organic isn't an option)
We're in a suddenly desperate situation with our laying flock on our farm, and any help and advice is much appreciated.
We have 59 laying hens, most of them are 1 YO BSL, RIR, and CR-X. 14 are 1.5 YO RSL, and there is a handful of marans, ameraucanas, 1 YO and 5 Heritage hens which are 3.
Our typical daily egg count is in the 40s. We have a small egg CSA of customers who we are obligated to provide eggs to, and we sell at our farm gate.
We have a Salatin style "Eggmobile" and are rotationally grazing on pasture within an electric poultry net. The mobile is moved once a week. The hens have been in this system since the first week of April. The birds are serviced twice daily with feed and water. We feed Homestead Organics certified organic feed which contains a high grade mineral premix and a probiotic (I think this is known to be the best certified feed avail. in Canada). We strictly follow the Canadian Organic Standard.
There are two Ameraucana roos in with the group, and they are pretty well mated, some of the hens have feather loss on their backs from the roos. There is a sub-group which lives in the winter coop and free ranges, just 5 hens and one roo. No feather loss.
Nearly all of these hens have ceased to lay over the past two weeks. 4 hens are broody, but that shouldn't make this happen. Today I gathered 8 eggs total.
Any help or advice is much appreciated, we are so stressed, I'm sure you can imagine, the cost to support this group Organically when they aren't laying. (no, switching from Organic isn't an option)
