Pullets not laying.

[kokosmom2]

I'm asking this for an internet friend of mine. He lives in TX and the chickens free range on 1.5 acres. He's walked all over and hasn't found any eggs hiding anywhere. The pullets are 8-11 months old. I've only had chickens for 2 years, so I'm not any kind of expert on this, plus I live in WI. Thanks in advance for any help.



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Howdy folks,

I have 23 hens and a rooster right now. They are free range - only penned at night.

I keep two waterers full at all times, and when it's really hot one of them gets electrolytes added.

They eat a mixture of laying pellets and scratch. Again, if it's really hot I'll add "Rooster Booster" to the feed in order to help them along.

They are de-wormed at appropriate intervals.

The coop is ventilated, with a box fan blowing the hot air at the peak out two vents.

It's a pretty awesome setup for a chicken. Low stress, lots of area to free range.

But, in spite of all that, I typically get about 5-6 eggs a day from my 23 hens. That's really, really bad. This has held true for months - it was slightly better (maybe 6-7 egg average) during the spring.

At this rate, my average hen is producing about two eggs per week. They're mostly Rhode Island Red and New Hampshire Reds. There's a couple of Buffs and Dominekers (sp?) as well.

 

[Helloworld]

Its hot there? May be why.

Fall is coming. Time for them to settle down.
Also, you may be having them picked up by sky birds. They usually lay early mornings.
I would wait until they lay before releasing them. This will give you an idea what is going on. Some gonna lay later so if you can put them up for about a week and see what they are actually doing then you will know if predators or starting to save energy for winter, not laying at all etc. Good luck!

 

[kokosmom2]

let me ask him. Anything else I should ask?

 

[SueT]

I'd cut out mixing the scratch w layer feed, it dilutes the nutrition needed for egg production.
However, days are getting short and laying will definitely slow down unless you are supplementing light. My 2018 pullets are molting and not laying. That could be another factor to consider.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ditch the scratch... it's like potato chips and could be diminishing protein or calcium levels too far.. in addition to other nutrients.

It may not be AS much of an issue since they are free range.. but that would be my first step.

I would think there are hidden nests and lock everyone in for at least 3 days to see what happens to production.

Plus what is being used for wormer... and why at a regular interval.

Egg eaters? Predator visits? External parasites?

 

[DobieLover]

Sounds like a lot of the girls are hiding eggs. These eggs may be getting eaten during the night.
If he locks the girls in the coop with an attached secured run for a week so, he'll know for sure.
He could also try to make the nest boxes more appealing to the pullets by adding curtains and extra thick bedding that they can make a nice well in to lay their eggs.

 

[Coralee]

Hens can be really sneaky and inventive about hiding eggs. They can squeeze into spots and lay eggs that you can't imagine they can get into. Maybe your friend should try keeping them cooped for a day or so to see how many eggs are really getting laid.

 

[Helloworld]

Ditch the scratch... it's like potato chips and could be diminishing protein or calcium levels too far.. in addition to other nutrients.

It may not be AS much of an issue since they are free range.. but that would be my first step.

I would think there are hidden nests and lock everyone in for at least 3 days to see what happens to production.

Plus what is being used for wormer... and why at a regular interval.

Egg eaters? Predator visits? External parasites?

What do you all use for heat in the winter? I think scratch is ok, just in moderate qualities.

 

[kokosmom2]

He is in North Texas. He said the temps were not really hot this year, only got into the 100's 3 days. Temps now are in the 50's and 60's but the past 10 days have been in the 70's. About 80% of the area the birds roam in, is shaded.

He is giving them wormer (he's looking up the name) every 6 months as a preventative. The birds get scratch, layer pellets, and table scraps along with free ranging all day. So he says if he eliminates the scratch, what should he give them in winter?

 

[pennyJo1960]

layer scratch that is and egg shell may be snakes stealing the eggs if they are laying out on the property.. they do not wormed that often