4 Hens- 1 egg per day...at the end of my rope

[Lisa-Lu]

Background on the hens: we got them at about 5 months old. 2 of them were laying and continued to for about a week or so, then 3 of them were and was consistent for a few days. then all of them stopped for almost a week. (breeds: 2 barred rocks, 2 red sex links)

Now they are about 8-9 months old. only one of them is laying(barred rock) and that has been going on for almost a month. One other is laying blobs of egg white with no shell every few days or so but that is it.

I have asked for advice on here several times, and have followed a lot of it. they have been wormed, given probiotic, I changed their feed to Nutrena Naturewise hearty hen 18% protein pellets all day every day, and oyster shell is available to them. my husband is ready to cull the ones not laying, and I cant defend them much longer. Advice??

 

[Willowspirit]

Some have suggested giving them Tums directly to boost their calcium levels right away as they might yet not have enough from oyster shell. I think you can give it to them partially ground up.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

Their feed has calcium in it and they have the oyster shell. Is calcium deficiency the only reason for no egg production?

 

[danceswithronin]

Have you tried getting ceramic eggs from the feed store and planting them in the nest boxes to give them a clue? How many nest boxes do you have?

Have you checked for mites?

Are you sure the hens are getting enough water? When the weather gets hot they won't drink enough if the water is warm (left in the sun) or if they have to leave the shade to get to it. I'd also add apple cider vinegar to their water, as it helps them retain calcium.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

We have 3 nest boxes. I haven't tried the ceramic eggs because in the beginning 3 of them were laying, so would they need reminded of what goes in there?

Checked for mites and they are all clear.

They have 4 water sources that are changed regularly, 2 in the coop, and 2 in various places in the yard they like to hang out when free ranging, two of those are in constant shade so it stays cool. It hasn't gotten hot here yet, 70 average right now.

how much vinegar to water ratio?

 

[danceswithronin]

how much vinegar to water ratio?

1 tsp per gallon is what I usually do. Or just a teaspoon in any of my waterers. You don't need a ton of it, and you don't want to put in enough that it makes the water taste off and the chickens refuse to drink it.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

ok thank you.
how long should this take to see results?

 

[wyoDreamer]

Do your chickens get much for treats?
My chickens started to slow down laying and I realized that they were getting kinda fat. I cut back on the BOSS and cracked corn and they are laying fairly well again.
I feed layer crumbles with free choice oyster-shell on the side. They get a single scoop (5-oz cat food tin) of treats a day - for 7 hens to share.

 

[Lisa-Lu]

We give them a handful of mealworms every evening when they return to the coop before bedtime and thats it. I've given them cabbage a few weeks ago and they loved that. They always act like they are starving whenever we give any treats, and they are emptying their feed container every day just about. They arent fat by any means.

 

[Evelyn Walker]

Could it be that they are stressed because of something? I had a similar thing occur to me after a fox attack, all but one of my hens stopped laying for several months. I thought it was very odd at the time, but perhaps she was just a tough one.