very few eggs, what they do lay they are eating

[Runamuckranch1]

My chickens used to lay 8 - 10 eggs per day , are now laying maybe 4 per week and I find broken shells and saw one run over and peck open an egg when she saw me come in the coop.They are well fed with vitamins added to their water, organic chicken crumble, chicken scratch, lots of fresh veggies and occasional bread scraps, noodles or crackers. I add vinegar to their water for bacteria control, they also get crushed oyster shell. Am I doing something wrong? Its been a couple months of almost no eggs.

 

[nc18art]

your chickens could be eating some of the eggs or if they are free range they could be hiding then somewhere

 

[Folly's place]

There's maybe more than one issue here; nutritional problems, and at least one egg eater. Also, are any molting? Have you had a heat wave? Any stress will decrease egg production. Diet: how much of their diet is balance chicken food? What protein %? You may be feeding too many goodies and unbalancing their diet. They need to drink plain water. Go back to the basic crumble (18 to 20% protein would be good), free choice oyster shell, and water. Then watch to see who is actually breaking the eggs open, and move her out. All the birds will eat broken eggs, but you may only have one or two opening them. Are the shells really weak? Diet again, or old hens. Mary

 

[aart]

There's maybe more than one issue here; nutritional problems, and at least one egg eater. Also, are any molting? Have you had a heat wave? Any stress will decrease egg production. Diet: how much of their diet is balance chicken food? What protein %? You may be feeding too many goodies and unbalancing their diet. They need to drink plain water. Go back to the basic crumble (18 to 20% protein would be good), free choice oyster shell, and water. Then watch to see who is actually breaking the eggs open, and move her out. All the birds will eat broken eggs, but you may only have one or two opening them. Are the shells really weak? Diet again, or old hens. Mary

Ditto^^^^

 

[sjturner79]

My chickens used to lay 8 - 10 eggs per day , are now laying maybe 4 per week and I find broken shells and saw one run over and peck open an egg when she saw me come in the coop.They are well fed with vitamins added to their water, organic chicken crumble, chicken scratch, lots of fresh veggies and occasional bread scraps, noodles or crackers. I add vinegar to their water for bacteria control, they also get crushed oyster shell. Am I doing something wrong? Its been a couple months of almost no eggs.

Vinegar in the water will often stop calcium absorption, slowing egg production, and increasing the likelihood of egg eating. You should not have laying hen drinking vinigar more than 1 week in 4.