Anyone noticing an unusually poor November egg production?

[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."

Purina Flock Raiser at 20% protein mixed three to one with FRM Gamebird Starter at 28%. Should come out to 22% as I figure it which ought to be plenty for molting birds.

 

[ShaggysGirl]

My BO coop has 1/2 the chickens of my large mixed coop and they are giving me 8-10 a day while my big coop only is giving me 12-18. But many in the big coop are on their second year laying, maybe it is age? My cuckoo marans coop they are just starting to lay and we are getting 2-3.

The co-op where we are now getting our feed has 20% protein for 14.00 a 50lb bag we switched to that about a month ago their 16% was a couple bucks cheaper but I think it was worth the extra.
Only problem is they are eating the higher protein food much faster than they did the lower

maybe it is because the higher protein ones is nice small pellets while the lower one was broken up large pellets.

 

[elloyd]

my 16 girls are doing the same last winter they started laying when it was freezing and we werer geting 14 eggs a day then at the beginning of summer they all just stoped laying and have not layed an egg since this is verry frusterating because my husband is saying that it is time to det new ones andxc start over i love my hens but he might be right they are 2 years old and i can not fkeep many chickens and would like to have some that are going to lay in the summer

 

[superchemicalgirl]

No slowdown here that's noticeable.

I feed 20% Blue Seal Turkey Grower Pellets with a smattering of black oil sunflower seeds in the AM and PM. It's about 10 hours of light here now (no artificial light used) and starting to get decently chilly (nights have been in the 30s, starting to get in the 20s).

I get about 22 eggs a day from my 28 (+/- 2) or so laying girls.

 

[Beekissed]

Mine started poor lay in August and are also having an abnormally bad moult. I have only been getting 2-3 eggs from 13 laying hens of 3 years of age, for the past 3 months. This the worst egg laying any of my flocks have ever had in all the years I've been doing this.

I also have a flock of 18 new pullets that are now 5 months old...and I'm only getting one pullet egg per day. These are RIR, Barred Rock, Speckled Sussex and Partridge Rock breeds. I know 5 months is early but I expected a few of them to have matured by now, at least. My White Rocks and New Hamps were laying at 5 months.

This is the worst egg production year I've ever had.

 

[blueseal]

yup mine have slacked off since the time change 4-6 eggs a day from 15, 1 and a half year olds.

 

[sben451]

Egg production is definitely down for my chickens this fall. I have 16 hens around 2-3 yrs. old--no eggs the past 10 days or so. I have 11 Welsummer hens, hatched this spring--so far no eggs at all. This spring I purchased 5 chicks from the feed store. Been getting a couple of eggs a day from these 5 pullets. Three EE pullets hatched this spring usually lay two eggs a day. My best producers right now are my 5 Silkie hens who are laying three eggs a day. So out of 40 hens, I'm getting about 6-7 eggs a day now. Not much compensation for the amount of feed they're eating (20% mini layer pellets, BOSS and pumpkins for treats, plus some free range time most days).

Good thing I really like my chickens.

 

[snowcone]

Guess i am doing good. My were completely free range for about a year and half. I built a coop a couple of weeks ago for the winter plus didn't think we was finding them all, you know, an easter egg hunt every day. I was getting 3,4 maybe 5 eggs. Built the coop, locked them in for about 4 days, was still getting the same at first, but now I'm getting 5 or 6, one day this week had 7. I think they heard my talk about sharpening the knives. Oh yea I have 9 chickens laying. In the 1 1/2 yrs I have had them, I have never going more then 2 days in a row without an egg. There was lot of times I was not finding all the eggs, then I found a hen in a 35 gal upright trash barrel laying on 16 eggs. 8 of them hatched out, still have 6 chicks. They are about 14 weeks old. How old before they start laying 20-22 weeks?

One thing I did do to mark laying birds, go out in the morning and if there is a bird in a nesting box i would put a nylon zip tie around their leg just tight enough it wont fall off. That is assuming if they are in the box they are laying an egg. Do that for a week or two and you should have a pretty good idea who is laying.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Mine really slowed down last month. 1-2 eggs daily, if even that much! This month I'm getting maybe 6-7 eggs from. That isn't counting my young chickens.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Well I'm getting better production I have 2 turkey eggs today I've just been getting 1 every 3 days and I have 3 laying so it looks like they are picking up...if anything the weather is getting cooler