Just got to 7 eggs out of 8 hens, production dropped

[Leasmom1013]

Hi. It's been 15/16 years since I had chickens. So I've had to relearn a lot. I spend a lot of time with my chickens, observing their behaviors although I can't tell them apart because they're all Black Australorps and almost all of them look identical. I don't know whose who but anyway, lol. I had a new layer, the seventh one out of 8 hens, and her eggs were a little flat on one side. The shells were weak and a few times I found the egg shell crumbled and the evidence of the yolk having been eaten. I had to hose out their nesting box and replace the woodchips. I think it was an accident because they all try to use that one nesting box and ignore the other one. So, after I got a good egg from the new layer, a completely strong shell, I noticed that every day since I've gotten less eggs. So they have Oyster Shell hanging inside the run and I do see them eating it. I even mixed some into some extra food I've given them. So I figured it was just a fluke because it was a new layer. I had another hen lay shell-less eggs for a few days before starting to lay a good egg and they would eat that.

I've watched them and they typically leave the eggs alone unless it was cracked or shell-less. I found one crumpled egg shell and haven't found any evidence of others. I try to grab the eggs up as soon as I see them which means I sometimes spend a lot of time outside with them. One hen lays on the ground because the other hens bully her. That's a whole other story. But they typically just walk around the egg unbothered. So I went from 7 eggs to 6 to 4 and now three today. Their food hasn't changed although it will. I got a bag delivered from Walmart instead of my feed store. I haven't filled up their feed bucket with it yet. They still have their old feed in the feeder as of now. I have given them some of the new stuff. The new temporary feed is different from the one I normally get mostly in vitamins but a few other ingredients. Could that be it, even though I only gave them it as a special snack?

I did give them dairy during those days. It was fermented milk with apple cider vinegar and some of that new feed to thicken it as well as some spinach. I had milk that needed to be used. Also it's getting darker earlier. It's getting darker around 8 pm now. I know that affects their egg production.

Anyone have any ideas? Advice? Wisdom?

 

[Morrigan]

How old are your hens? What are your feeding them?

It is pretty normal to see hens older then 1 year old start to go off lay this time of year due to shortening days. Also, older hens (3+ years) will sometimes lay thinner shells eggs as they are winding down their laying season. But it you are seen lots of thin shells eggs from multiple hens, it's time to check their diet to make sure they are getting the calcium they need.

 

[Leasmom1013]

How old are your hens? What are your feeding them?

It is pretty normal to see hens older then 1 year old start to go off lay this time of year due to shortening days. Also, older hens (3+ years) will sometimes lay thinner shells eggs as they are winding down their laying season. But it you are seen lots of thin shells eggs from multiple hens, it's time to check their diet to make sure they are getting the calcium they need.

They're six months old. The feed that I normally feed them is from Rural King. It's their pellet feed. The brand is Country Road. And the one from Walmart is called Healthy Harvest. No I don't have multiple hens with thin shells just the new layer and it was just for a few days. She laid a regular egg after that. And the one who laid a shell-less egg was a new layer at the time as well but that was a while ago. They have Oyster shell that they do eat on their own and I added some to the snack I gave them as well. That was just a new layer just starting to lay.

 

[Morrigan]

It sounds like they are all young layers. Some thin-shelled eggs and inconsistent laying are pretty normal as they are working out the kinks. If they all look healthy, I wouldn't worry. Egg production will probably normalize over the next few weeks.

 

[Leasmom1013]

Thank you. I ended up with 6 eggs today. Seven actually but one had fallen out of the nesting box into the inside of a concrete brick which keeps the stacked up nesting boxes above ground. So thank you.