playfullife
In the Brooder
- May 30, 2017
- 19
- 11
- 41
You remember group projects from school? How four people were supposed to do a project together and inevitably one person ended up doing all the work? Group projects were the worst. And that's where I'm at with my chickens.
I have 4 hens, all easter eggers bought from a local feed store at 3 weeks of age in April. One of them started laying right on time in August, and consistently laid an egg almost every day until the polar vortex and shortest days hit simultaneously; she is taking a much deserved break. The issue isn't a winter slowdown. All the other freeloaders have not laid a single egg. Although I've never determined which hen is laying, I know it's only one because a) we only get one egg a day, never more and b) they are always the exact same lovely shade of light green.
I looked up all the things that could be wrong and I don't know what I've messed up. Here's a breakdown of the usual culprits:
Age - I've had them since April, so they're definitely old enough.
Shorter days - I'd expect a winter slowdown, but this problem persisted in the summer and fall.
Diet - They got grower until the first hen started laying, then I transitioned them to Layena, which I understood to be a complete diet. They get food and water free choice 24/7. They don't get very much table scraps so I doubt it's that. I could add eggshell/oyster shell and protein, but how much and what sources? I don't want to make them sick with too much protein.
Stress/Illness: My girls seem quite happy. The coop is small (I live in a city) but they have free access to a covered run and I haven't seen any evidence of illness, bullying, feather picking or what have you. The coop is covered in 1/4 inch mesh so they're well protected from predators
Egg eating: I have never seen any evidence of eaten eggs, and they're pretty messy eaters.
Hiding eggs somewhere in the run: My birds don't free range, and I can see every corner of the coop easily. They're kept on sand so they're not getting buried.
Roosters: I know what a rooster looks like, at least once they get old enough. We got one by mistake. We changed his name to Tandoori and he was delicious.
The only things I can think of are the following:
Insuffient sunlight. The coop is in a corner of the yard that is in full shade much of the day. This is great for keeping it cool in the summer. Chickens aren't plants though, if they're getting natural light do they really need direct sunlight to thrive?
Inadequate nest boxes. The only layer did not approve of the 5 gallon bucket nest box I made and laid her eggs in the run. I tried the golf ball trick. They played golf ball soccer and kicked the balls out into the run. Would a cushier nest box do the trick?
Any other suggestions on how I can get them started up again once the days warm up and get longer? A change in diet? Lighting? Luxury nest box ideas? Send 'em all to freezer camp and start over?
I have 4 hens, all easter eggers bought from a local feed store at 3 weeks of age in April. One of them started laying right on time in August, and consistently laid an egg almost every day until the polar vortex and shortest days hit simultaneously; she is taking a much deserved break. The issue isn't a winter slowdown. All the other freeloaders have not laid a single egg. Although I've never determined which hen is laying, I know it's only one because a) we only get one egg a day, never more and b) they are always the exact same lovely shade of light green.
I looked up all the things that could be wrong and I don't know what I've messed up. Here's a breakdown of the usual culprits:
Age - I've had them since April, so they're definitely old enough.
Shorter days - I'd expect a winter slowdown, but this problem persisted in the summer and fall.
Diet - They got grower until the first hen started laying, then I transitioned them to Layena, which I understood to be a complete diet. They get food and water free choice 24/7. They don't get very much table scraps so I doubt it's that. I could add eggshell/oyster shell and protein, but how much and what sources? I don't want to make them sick with too much protein.
Stress/Illness: My girls seem quite happy. The coop is small (I live in a city) but they have free access to a covered run and I haven't seen any evidence of illness, bullying, feather picking or what have you. The coop is covered in 1/4 inch mesh so they're well protected from predators
Egg eating: I have never seen any evidence of eaten eggs, and they're pretty messy eaters.
Hiding eggs somewhere in the run: My birds don't free range, and I can see every corner of the coop easily. They're kept on sand so they're not getting buried.
Roosters: I know what a rooster looks like, at least once they get old enough. We got one by mistake. We changed his name to Tandoori and he was delicious.
The only things I can think of are the following:
Insuffient sunlight. The coop is in a corner of the yard that is in full shade much of the day. This is great for keeping it cool in the summer. Chickens aren't plants though, if they're getting natural light do they really need direct sunlight to thrive?
Inadequate nest boxes. The only layer did not approve of the 5 gallon bucket nest box I made and laid her eggs in the run. I tried the golf ball trick. They played golf ball soccer and kicked the balls out into the run. Would a cushier nest box do the trick?
Any other suggestions on how I can get them started up again once the days warm up and get longer? A change in diet? Lighting? Luxury nest box ideas? Send 'em all to freezer camp and start over?
Last edited:
Gives me time to make some improvements to the coop.
