Leasmom1013
Songster
- May 6, 2020
- 67
- 166
- 103
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?
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?