1 egg from 40 birds...

[FreeRange Drulie]

Okay heres the story,

In the beginning of this summer. around May, we built our first coop on the farm. The coop is designed to allow the birds to range freely the farm. So we built the coop on an old trailer so it is able to be pulled by the tractor out to the middle of the field by the cows. We have done a lot of reading on the benefits of having poultry range with cattle and thought this would be best, most sustainable, back to basics, chicken laying idea. But so far it has been hell.

We started with 12 heritage breed chickens that were slightly older and we were getting about 8-10 eggs a day. The birds were finding all the food on their own, in cow pies and fresh grass. We wanted to start selling at farmers market and to neighbors so we bought 35 more hens from an Amish Organic Valley egg producer. Once we got home we realized the hens were debeaked! So we accepted them and welcomed them to this new lifestyle. But we weren't fully sure if they would be able to cut it free ranging. They seemed to be doing just fine when we watched them.

The first week went okay, about 30+ eggs a day. But from there it declined steadily. We locked the new birds in the coop for 2 or 3 days to instill home. but the new birds were laying their eggs all over the farm, in the tall grasses and hay in the pasture.

The eggs became less and less, so we started thinking our idea of naturally free ranging just wasn't working. SO we fenced and chicken wired a paddock area and moved the coop in. Thinking, now, we would be able to find their eggs and keep them focused on the coop. We started feeding them organic grain and compost. Thinking maybe that could be the problem.

I thought maybe they were going through their molt so we have been letting it ride out. but it has been about 2 months and it is only getting worse. And they aren't loosing many feathers compared to what I have ready online of what a molt should be. Also, our neighbor told us that you should be able to comfortably fit two fingers between the chickens lower pelvis, where the eggs pass through. The debeaked birds I can only fit one, snugly.
(Does anyone know if they are going through a molt, will that passageway re-open?)

Today I collected 1 egg! Out of 40 birds I am getting 1 egg! These birds have become so spoiled they don't even care about laying eggs!

Our birds get only organic feed and lots and lots of compost. We even got expired egg whites and have been feeding them it for days and days..

We have even tried to soak a five gallon bucket of grain in cayenne pepper and then feed it all to them at once. Didn't work...

We have tried to make sure and let them out at 5 am everyday! Believe me it didn't work for either of us.

I have tried talking to them. Heart to Heart. no love.

I am to the point I am ready to let all these girls go. I have poured a lot of my energy into them and it seems to be just failing.

Does anyone have any idea of what is going on with my hens!?

 

[PippyChicken]

Maybe their not in the mood

also maybe their laying there eggs outside and if u have ur coop raised up they sometimes lay eggs under the house or maybe the HEAT! It's so hot outside

 

[saddina]

Few things:

Do they show any signs of illness?

How hot is it?

Are they getting enough water?

How long ago did you move them, is it possiable they're still upset, post move?

Could they be laying softshelled eggs and eating them? do they have calicium available?

 

[crazy huhn]

My first thought was that maybe they were older than you were told when you bought them........

 

[babyspice35]

Don't give up!

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Saddina posed great questions!

I also wonder if they have or were using nesting boxes? Perhaps you could construct roll-away nests, in case there is an egg-eating epidemic? Lots of chickens slow down the egg production during the hottest months of the year. What color are their combs/wattles?

eta: I agree w/Babyspice, don't give up! There will be lots of people to come along w/great suggestions, I am sure of it!

 

[iread]

My BF went to a poultry class at the local university and he learned that our chickens were WAAAAAYYYYY too fat. Nine chickens were eating a 50lb bag of feed in about 2 and a half weeks!!!! We cut their food down and then we started getting more eggs.

He also learned about how the heat can cause diminished egg production. He drew the line when I wanted him to install a little A/C in the coop, though! LOL!

On a totally different subject, one other thing he learned was how to grade eggs (judge them for competition) so now I bring him each egg and make him rate it for me! I wanted to take the class sooooo bad but it was only for FFA advisors and teachers of agriculture.

Don't give up! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[PippyChicken]

also you might want to give them not only organic feed but maybe corn or scratch

 

[valentinebaby]

I'm assuming that you have nest boxes in the coop and if so, that you have fake eggs placed in them to teach them where to lay. I would definitely put out crushed oyster shell for extra calcium. The heat really hasn't slowed my new layers down, but they have a 40 foot clump of 3 oak trees sheltering their coop and run and a fun that blows under the raised coop. I'm no expert, but since you acquired older girls, they may be entering a molt state - very common under stress and due to their age.

Good luck!

 

[Uppity Peon]

Maybe they are laying, but they or something else is eating the eggs. There was a thread yesterday with a link to a page that explains how to evaluate the productivity of a hen. I bookmarked the page:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/DI1182.html

If they are not laying, I suggest trying an experiment. Take 5 or 10 hens and put them in a run with a henhouse and start giving them commercial laying feed, oyster shell, etc. If they don't start laying after a while, they may be beyond their productive years.