Help! 15 hens and just a few eggs a day

[EmilyAlamano]

We are trying to figure out why our egg production has gone down so dramatically these last couple months, could it be that we added a rooster or pigs? Here’s lots of details -

15 hens, 1-7 eggs a day usually less than 5
Age: 10 of them are 2.5yrs old, 5 of them are 6 mo old
Location: Pacific Northwest (nw Oregon)
Diet: scratch and peck feed, black oil sunflower seeds, oyster shells, grit, chicken scratch, dried meal worms (we stopped meal worms for 6 months and added back in a week ago)
Rooster: we added a rooster 2 months ago and that seems to be when the egg production slowed down.. he’s nice to the hens and doesn’t bully them, they aren’t scared of them. He sleeps in a tree above the coop so he’s not in there with them while they’re laying eggs (he’s too big for the automatic coop door we have, going to get a new one before winter)
Pigs: we got two piglets that are in the chicken run with the hens, added them a couple months ago. Pigs are “friendly” with them, the pigs let them egg from their bowls and aren’t aggressive
Setup: wooden coop and run area is 1/8 acre fenced in
Molt: some of them look like they’re molting a little bit but def not all of them at the same time!

Please help us figure out what to do! Is it time to start culling the older birds (they’re only 2.5 yrs)?

We have searched high and low for a hidden nest and haven’t found any eggs anywhere.

 

[cherrynberry]

We are trying to figure out why our egg production has gone down so dramatically these last couple months, could it be that we added a rooster or pigs? Here’s lots of details -

15 hens, 1-7 eggs a day usually less than 5
Age: 10 of them are 2.5yrs old, 5 of them are 6 mo old
Location: Pacific Northwest (nw Oregon)
Diet: scratch and peck feed, black oil sunflower seeds, oyster shells, grit, chicken scratch, dried meal worms (we stopped meal worms for 6 months and added back in a week ago)
Rooster: we added a rooster 2 months ago and that seems to be when the egg production slowed down.. he’s nice to the hens and doesn’t bully them, they aren’t scared of them. He sleeps in a tree above the coop so he’s not in there with them while they’re laying eggs (he’s too big for the automatic coop door we have, going to get a new one before winter)
Pigs: we got two piglets that are in the chicken run with the hens, added them a couple months ago. Pigs are “friendly” with them, the pigs let them egg from their bowls and aren’t aggressive
Setup: wooden coop and run area is 1/8 acre fenced in
Molt: some of them look like they’re molting a little bit but def not all of them at the same time!

Please help us figure out what to do! Is it time to start culling the older birds (they’re only 2.5 yrs)?

We have searched high and low for a hidden nest and haven’t found any eggs anywhere.

It’s because of the autumn equinox..assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. Egg production typically slows down during fall and winter months due to the loss of daylight hours.

 

[EmilyAlamano]

It’s because of the autumn equinox..assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. Egg production typically slows down during fall and winter months due to the loss of daylight hours

It’s because of the autumn equinox..assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. Egg production typically slows down during fall and winter months due to the loss of daylight hours.

It’s because of the autumn equinox..assuming you are in the northern hemisphere. Egg production typically slows down during fall and winter months due to the loss of daylight hours.

We are getting 14 hrs of daylight right now, last few years we were getting eggs all the way to through winter without artificial light so I don’t think this would explain the dramatic decrease. Any other ideas? Thanks for reply

 

[cherrynberry]

We are getting 14 hrs of daylight right now, last few years we were getting eggs all the way to through winter without artificial light so I don’t think this would explain the dramatic decrease. Any other ideas? Thanks for reply

Are they molting? Pullets tend to lay through winter better...that changes as they age.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Are you sure the pigs aren’t eating the eggs? Pigs will eat anything.

What breeds are the older hens? I have seen it posted that some production breeds only lay well the first 2 years and then slow down dramatically.

It is probably a combination of several of the factors you mention (new rooster, added the pigs, some are molting, and possibly age depending on breed).

 

[EmilyAlamano]

Are you sure the pigs aren’t eating the eggs? Pigs will eat anything.

What breeds are the older hens? I have seen it posted that some production breeds only lay well the first 2 years and then slow down dramatically.

It is probably a combination of several of the factors you mention (new rooster, added the pigs, some are molting, and possibly age depending on breed).

Older hens are golden sex links, wyandottes, americauna, olive eggers (not sure on breed). So maybe that’s why? They’re just about to be 2.5 yrs old. Is there a way to find out what chickens are laying still other than literally watching them lay an egg?

The pigs can’t come to the coop because they’re separated by electric tape. Hens can jump over the tape but pigs respect it and don’t push past it… so I doubt the pigs are getting any eggs in their area because there’s nowhere to nest and lay an egg in private.

Thank you for your help!

 

[TX Chick Noob]

This might help you figure out who is laying:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/?page=4

The Sex Links are the ones most likely to be slowing down their laying rate at 2.5 years. I’m not sure about the other breeds, hopefully someone with better breed knowledge than me will also reply. And of course any of the hens that are starting to molt will have slowed down or stopped. Are you sure all the six month old pullets have started laying? And if they only started the past month some of them couple be laying in the run where the pigs can get them.

 

[Debbie09011970]

Did you have a heat wave? I live in Arkansas and I can't tell you how many people that I know that are getting very few eggs. I personally have not gotten eggs in months. After the heat wave came the molting and then winter is about to hit. This has been our worst year for eggs.