Anyone noticing an unusually poor November egg production?

[fiberart57]

My girls are 18 months old, one is just going into molt, 4 are done and growing back and one either hasn't started, did it quickly while I wasn't watching, or isn't going to molt. I was getting one egg every other day but now I have had none for two weeks.

Here in Western Colorado we've had an Indian Summer and abnormally high temperatures at night for this time of the year (around 30 degrees). What this means for me is that the big mulberry tree the chicken house is under hasn't dropped many leaves so the girls are in shade quite a bit. Last year they were younger, it was bitterly cold, but the leaves were off the branches and there was light coming in the coop and they laid well. This year . . . sheesh!

I give them extra protein in the form of beef, eggs and cat food so they're supplemented well. They also get Flock Raiser. I agree that it's something in the air.

Mary

 

[wenlo]

5 hens 8 months old 1-2 eggs per day. I was getting 4-5. They have been unusually noisy as well, as if they are trying to get our attention.

 

[Nava]

not me

I got Ancona chickens, one of the best egg layers

 

[buzymom13]

Up until about a month ago I would've said that I had the same problem. But about a month ago I got rid of 2 roosters that had become a problem in my flock. Since then we have been getting more and more each day. We started out 2 or 3 maybe...up that a week later to 4 or 5 ...then within the last 2 weeks...at least 5 usually 6 or 7 a day. My EE started laying again after taking a month off too. And my other EE who hadn't laid at all decided to start.

Aside from the juevenile roos that I got rid of I also started giving my girls a half a head of cabbage a day and some days a butternut squash instead. I don't know if it's the lack of pesky teen roos or the veggies...but I'm NOT complaining...

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I have 12 chickens;

I usually get 10-12 per day.

Now I am getting 8-10 per day.

So yes production has declined somewhat.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

Remind me again what the ideal light time range is? I have been letting them out at sun up and keeping the heat white lamps one them until 8pm that's good enough eh?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
At least in my case I don't believe it can be the protein content. When the birds begin to go into serious molt I always bump their protein a bit by blending in a little game bird starter. Not a lot, but it should bring it up that 2% you mention. Ain't working this year.

 

[jomercer]

My girls are in their first 7 months, so production stats aren't very good yet.

Bird Production November 1-18 Laid first egg on: Total eggs to date (avg/week): Age (weeks) at first egg:
# eggs (avg/week):

Golden Comet 16 (6.2) 9/25 51 (6.5) 20.3
BA 15 (5.8) 9/27 49 (6.5) 22.4
SLW 11 (4.3) 10/27 16 (4.9) 24.9
EE 11 (5.1) 11/4 11 (5.1) 26.0

natural daylight only
free range 1-5 hours/day
free choice 18% protein grower feed from Southern States
oyster shell on the side
occasional kitchen scraps and pulled weeds

 

[jomercer]

A.T. Hagan :

Quote:
At least in my case I don't believe it can be the protein content. When the birds begin to go into serious molt I always bump their protein a bit by blending in a little game bird starter. Not a lot, but it should bring it up that 2% you mention. Ain't working this year.

How much higher protein feed (and what is its protein content?) do you blend in with your regular (and at what protein content) feed? You might not be boosting it as much as you think.

For example, to boost a regular 16% protein feed to 18%, you'd need to mix 1:1 the regular feed with a 20% feed.

That's not mixing in "a little."​

 

[pamperedpoultry]

I have close to 100 chickens all together, all paired up and seperate by breed and color and I'm only getting a few eggs here and there from my sizzles and Serama.. Most of mine are molting or coming out of a molt..