28 hens... 4 eggs a day

[wadeoschikens]

I have a flock of chickens with 28 hens and 3 rosters. This summer i expand my chicken coop and the second day they where moved in egg production stopped i have made the 3 different types of nesting boxes, changed there food and water dish. They have hay in there nesting poxes and i give them high protein food as well as the regular laying pellets. I am lucky is i get 4 eggs a day when i use to get a dozen and a half... My hens aren't more than 3 years old and im clueless on what to do next?

 

[ShockValue]

Do they free range or are they in a run?

 

[wadeoschikens]

The are keep in a outside pen during the day till i get home from school, so they get let out at about 2:30 and on the weekends they are always out. when they are always out we don't get any eggs. very stumped.

 

[hennible]

It probably just the move, sometimes it could take a month for them to get used to the new house and they may not lay much or at all unroll they settle in.

 

[wadeoschikens]

it has almost been to mouths. that what i thought a first, its a 10x12. im hoping they will come out of it. its fall where i live so we just put the heat lamp on. hoping they come out of it but i have also notice they have been fighting a lot.

 

[hennible]

Most of my girls in the main flock are 4yrs or so, they don't lay daily anymore. I wonder if their pecking order is out of sorts from the move and so they're fighting and stressing each other hence not laying....

 

[wadeoschikens]

Good info to know.. thank you so very much.

 

[Happy Chooks]

They are probably going into their molt. They cannot lay eggs and molt at the same time - they need all of their protein to grow in new feathers. Once they feather back in fully and get their weight back to a safe level, then they will start laying again.

 

[ShockValue]

If you get few eggs when they're out at 2:30, and no eggs when they are out all day... I would seriously suspect that at least some of your girls are laying in the bushes someplace.
A new coop / boxes would be enough of a disruption for them to seek out new "safe" places to lay.


As an experiment, try keeping them in locked in next to the boxes for 48 hours and see how many eggs you get.