what can i do

[jfoldbar]

i have 7 isa browns. i bought them about 1 year ago as pullets, so they are about 18 months old. they were bought at 2 separate times from 2 separate places.
i usually get 2 eggs per day, but can vary between none and 3-4. i only got 7 eggs per day for a 1 week stretch.
i cant work out what else to try as to why they dont lay.
i have built 4 different houses for them in different places.
i am 100% sure there are no predators. there have been in the past for a few weeks till a house upgrade.
i have separated them in different places and times.
i have tried a mixture of different foods, vitamins and medicines.
i cant think of anything else to try in order to get them to lay.
since they have always been like that for 1 year, the problem is not seasonal.
i am in suburbia sydney australia so pretty good temps.
the only obvious thing i can see wrong with one of them is her crown is always flopped to the side. all the others look and act fine.
i had isa browns here about 4 years ago and they were fine, had to get rid of those ones then cause of building a new house.
one thing i wonder, is my mother always said if chickens play in the dirt too much they wont lay. though i cant find any info on the net to back this up. they do have access to play in the dirt. should i stop this access?
anyone have any ideas?
thanks

 

[GingerGypsy]

Most hens don't produce as much after they molt- usually after they're about a year old. The decline is normal.
As for the dirt, I've never heard that. Chickens actually bathe in dirt, so taking that away may cause stress.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Stop changing stuff around, that causes stress which affects laying. Your hens are probably getting to the end of your laying season, you are going into fall I believe, they will quit laying to molt. At that age the best laying is behind them, they will continue to lay less until they stop completely, most sex links lay for 2-4 years, get replacements if you want a continuous supply of eggs.

 

[jfoldbar]

thanks for the replies.
though it seems that ive been misunderstood based on your replies.

if they are not laying now because they are getting too old, then they were always too old even when born cause they have never layed. the last isa browns i had in the past layed good up to about 4-5 years old. which is normal for sydney. the local betterys keep them for 4 years before selling them.

yes we are coming to autumn, so it is their time of rest. but as i said, they have never layed so the overall problem is not seasonal.

i get that the concept of changing their house stresses them out causing them not to lay, because this has been going on for more than 1 year i have had plenty of trial and error time, and they have had a good 6 month stretch in 1 house without a change surely after 6 months in 1 house the stress of moving has passed.. the time when they layed the best was about 1 week after their present house, so they couldnt have been that stressed about that move. so i thought i finally had their accomodation sorted. then they stopped again.

 

[aart]

What and how exactly are you feeding them?
How are they housed?
Do they free range?

You might have just gotten some bum birds....might be why they were sold to you.

 

[azygous]

What aart has mentioned is something to consider. Genetics plays a big part in the quality of laying hens. Sloppy breeding practices may result in less than efficient layers, and you could be doing everything exactly right and not have any better results.

This isn't going to help your situation, but at least you have a reason you can pin on it.