13 chickens and only 2 to 4 eggs a day any idea why

[vladchick]

I have 4 Americana's, 2 RIR's, 1 black Astrolorp, 1 Dellaware, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Barred rock, 1 Wellsummer, and 2 unknown, one looks like RIR and one simillar to barred rock. I sterted to buy them couple of month ago from four diferent ofners that I found on the craigslist, and every time I'd bring new addition to the flock, there will be some fighting going on for couple of days. At the begining I had 7 eggs from 7 chickens sometime that was in January and now I've got 13 and only 2 to 3 eggs a day, any idea why, I'm a beginer with keeping chickens, and like to learn as much as posible. I feed them layer pallets, and they get scratch every morning for a treat, I clean the coop every single morning, they have plenty of fresh water, I let them roam in my yard on the grass and my garden, they love to eat worms. I have a timer for lights in the coop. Thanks

 

[Mahonri]

If they are roaming the yard, start looking under bushes.

Keep them in the coop/run all day for a couple of days and see if you find more eggs.

Is there a light on in the coop on a timer that stays on for at least 14 hours? That would help to. Sounds like you are doing everything else right.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine didn't lay hardly at all when I added babies to my coop. Chickens don't like change. It takes time for them to adjust. I'm starting to get eggs now, but I still have 2 that are molting and still not laying.

 

[vladchick]

I let them roam usualy in the afternoon, After the done layng, and I'm with them the whole time so as my kids, It's fully fenced yard about 50x75 feet so it 'll be hard to hide eggs there. AS far as light go It stays on till 8:15 pm and turns back on at 6 :15 AM it s off during the daylight ours since the coop has large window and most of the hens are running outside. In my run area I have half coverred from the rain with clear corrugated roof and the other half is not. Since I live in Northwest 20 miles south of Seattle we have alot of rain and it looks like the mud bath. I wonder if that could affect their egg production, they seem to love it thouh.

 

[eac04]

I had the same problem. I have seven chickens and I was just getting about 2-3 eggs every day out of the coop. Until I found their SECRET LAYING PLACE. Holy JACKPOT. There was a ton of eggs there! None of the chickens had/have gone broody so I took them out and put them in the incubator. Now that I have wrangled them all up I get about 5-6 eggs a day.

The funny thing is that I walked all over our property checking under every possibly place they could lay an egg. Turns out there was a pallet that my husband didn't put away with a little bit of space underneath and that's where they were ALL laying them. Inspect your property, you might be surprised where you find the eggs.

 

[dawg53]

adding new chickens to a flock causes stress until the new pecking order is established,this will curtail egg laying in hens. how old are the chickens you are getting off craigslist? if they are over a year old,it's possible they've stopped laying.did you isolate the new chickens before you added them to your original flock for about 2 weeks to observe them to see if they have any diseases,ie...coughing,wheezing,bloody stool etc...so these things wont be contracted by your original flock? sick chickens wont lay.also are there any in mini or full molt? they wont lay in molt.cold weather slows down egg production also as does rain sometimes. if they are eating,drinking, scratching around and all the things that chickens normally do,you have nothing to worry about.when getting chickens off craigslist,i recommend you ask the owner for a history of the chickens you're getting.i'd ask him/her how old they are,had any problems,have they been wormed and if they have; when,how long ago and with what? read as much as you can in this forum. i have and i've learned alot and it sure has come in handy.i've treated my girls for worms,minor injuries,bumblefoot,fowl pox,feather lice,how to prevent frostbite-all thanks to the knowledgable and excellent chickeners on this site.good luck!

 

[vladchick]

Quote:
Thanks for your info. Well I did not Isolate the chickens that I bought, and I think I should have. Even so, I have asked about chickens health and was very selective with who i buy from, and from looks chickens looked very healthy and happy. The oldest chicken that I have is less than 2 years old, and thats the qoute from the sellers. Someone told me that chickens suppossed to lay for about four to five years, and is there any way to tell aproximate hen age, and also if she is laying? Thanks

 

[MIKE555444]

Although I have a light on a timer I find that my hens lay better when it gets a little warmer. At freezing temps without heat I get about 5-6 eggs a day But as soon as I have a week of temps in the 40s - 50s almost instantly I have 10-13 eggs a day.

Good luck!

 

[dawg53]

I know of no way how to tell a chickens age.I guess you just have to go by what the owner says and ask if they are laying.Normally hens slow down laying just after their first year of laying.I have 2 silver spangled hamburgs that are 2 years old, one is laying and the other isnt. My white leghorn is one year old and I've noticed that she's slowing abit.On the otherhand I have a black star hen that is 4 years old and is an egg laying machine.She lays an egg everyday,taking a day or two off every two weeks lol.She has even layed eggs during molts,totally unbelievable.I honestly dont know how she does it.I'll be keeping her around for a very long time even after she stops laying.