Massive decrease in egg output, and 24-hour old eggs with blood vessels and beating hearts....

[erkme73]

About 8 weeks ago, I noticed a pretty dramatic decrease in eggs (from 12-18/day to 4-6 per day) from my 20+ hens. The hens are anywhere from 1 to 3 years old. I have 8 roosters.

We're using a locally provided non-GMO layer pellet feed (Homestead Feed).

We've been using this feed exclusively since our first chicks three years ago. While they used to free range regularly, they have only been let out maybe once every two weeks for the last couple of months due to excessive predation. I have no insecticide or pesticides anywhere on our property.

We did suspect possible coccidia from a recently introduced batch of American Bresse chicks, and have completed the first 5-day run of Corrid treatment about a week ago.

Where it gets interesting is that I have two other neighbors (each more than a mile from me) that are experiencing the same decrease in output and egg quality.

Because the eggs are so few, we're taking them every morning - so they are no more than 24 hours old. Even so, some of the eggs have blood vessels and beating hearts! It's almost like they've been incubated for a week or more. The neighbors are seeing the same. This picture is from a <24 hour old egg...

The yolks are also very delicate - often already scrambled when the egg is opened... and those that survive the trip to the pan, will burst on their own seconds later.

It's quite frustrating to have so many hens producing such poor quality.

One neighbor is using the same feed as me, but the other is not. There is also a fourth neighbor who has had zero impact - and he's using the cheapest junk feed from Rural King. I'm seriously considering switching to that to see if that helps.

Any ideas?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Sounds like you have a broody. Egg development at that stage is about 3 days old

 

[coach723]

I cannot explain the veins if the egg is truly less than 24 hours old. You shouldn't see veins until minimum 3 days of development.
There are many factors that could impact the amount of eggs you are getting. Feed is one. I had a really massive drop in egg production last year, I changed feeds and within 2 weeks was getting a lot more eggs. Coincidence??? I don't know. After a few months of that feed I started getting random eggs that tasted absolutely awful. Never in my 12-13 years of chickens have I ever had that problem. So with no other explanation or idea of what could be causing it, I switched feeds again. I stopped getting nasty tasting eggs. So.....
I can only conclude that supply issues have impacted feed producers also, and you cannot tell everything from a label. So, if in doubt, that's generally an easy switch to see if it makes any difference.
Other things that can impact egg laying are stress (heat, predators hanging around the coop at night, any changes in the environment, new birds coming in, losses that reset the pecking order, etc) which can be just about anything. And obviously, illness, which seems less likely since they seem ok and it's affecting a lot of them.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Any ideas?

Extra hot weather can effect egg quality and cause embryo development.

 

[Saveria]

Mine dropped laying because they wanted a waterer outside the run as well. As fresh as I tried to keep the water in their run, they wanted one outside on the cool ground to drink from as well.

Could secret nests be an explanation?

 

[erkme73]

These eggs are absolutely, positively less than 24 hours old. There is zero chance it's older as we remove the 4 or 5 eggs daily. That's the confounding thing. How are they so advanced in their development in such a short amount of time.

Is it possible they're incubating INSIDE the hens before they're being laid? Given that they're each only laying one every 3-4 days?
As far as heat, we've been unseasonably cool so far this season. Temps in the AM are in the low 60s and highs haven't been much above 80.

There haven't been any predators at night (I have many cameras to verify) and about 2 months ago, I popped two bobcats. I've not lost any chickens since then. I really should have been letting them free-range more since then but was still a bit overly cautious. I'll start letting them out again now.

So I'll grab some of that cheap RK feed with my next trip to town. Between that and letting the graze freely, I won't necessarily know which variable improves the egg production/quality (if at all)... but at this point, I'm out of ideas.

Sounds like you have a broody. Egg development at that stage is about 3 days old

I most certainly do. I have two Buff Orpingtons that have been my constant brooders since they started laying. They're always sitting on everyone's eggs when I collect them. But again, they were laid no more than 24 hours prior to collection.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Any signs of the chickens eating their own eggs (dirty nest boxes, etc)?

 

[erkme73]

Any signs of the chickens eating their own eggs (dirty nest boxes, etc)?

Not that I have noticed, but I most of the gathers are by my kids. I'll check myself in the AM.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

I experienced a massive decrease in egg production a couple weeks ago. I switched their feed but it didn't help. Suspecting a secret nest, I closed a gap in the fence of their ranging area, and all the sudden we were getting eggs again. Then, the other day, my neighbour told me there were empty egg shells scattered all over the forest way down the hill and over the road. I'm guessing a fox or badger found the secret nest before we could!

 

[erkme73]

I experienced a massive decrease in egg production a couple weeks ago. I switched their feed but it didn't help. Suspecting a secret nest, I closed a gap in the fence of their ranging area, and all the sudden we were getting eggs again. Then, the other day, my neighbour told me there were empty egg shells scattered all over the forest way down the hill and over the road. I'm guessing a fox or badger found the secret nest before we could!

I've had a similar experience last year and found dozens of eggs - and evidence of many eaten ones. However, they've been locked up most of the time since this started.