Bad egg production

[Icantthinkofausername]

Hi I’ve had chickens since I was 4 I’m now 27 and I’ve had bad luck with my hens the past 3 years. Their laying is very inconsistent. I got 6 chicks three years ago(buff orpingtons and cinnamon queens) . They started laying later than what I’m use to(around a year and 3 months). Once they started laying(september) they layed till December and quit until June. After that I started only getting 1-3 three eggs a day(most days usually1-2). Until they quiet in September and I also added 2 young pullets in after they stopped laying. Didn’t get any eggs from any of them until next July. I was getting 2 eggs a day from the pullets that were over a year old at that point for about 3 weeks and those 2 quit. That following spring I added 2 second gen golden comets that were at the point of lay and didn’t get anything from any of the bird until this year I got 4eggs total in the past month in a half from the last 2 I added. Again they started laying around a year 3 months like all the rest. I got 4 from one of my 3 year old buff orpington. 5 from another orpington and barred rock total(the 2 year olds). I also got 3 golden comments in February at 14 weeks old they started laying a month ago(I’m suprised a chicken on my property started laying that soon)! Ive probably gotten about 5 a week from them since they started laying. Ive always used a good layer feed from a local mill since I had first gotten into chickens when I was a kid and always have been swimming in eggs all the way up until the past 3 years. I mean they didn’t lay for about 10 months before starting to laying a month ago. They also get weird about the weather. If it’s gonna rain, cloudy, or windy they won’t lay for 1-3 days. I tried changed their food a while back didn’t change anything, they have oyster shell out for when they need it. I added different proteins and that did nothing. I also free range them almost everyday. And no they aren’t laying anywhere else whirl free ranging because Im outside and im WATCHING their every move since their egg production has sucked the past 3 years. My neighbor has a full fledge farm and has about 63 chickens( he gets about 4-5 dozens a day. We feed the same food and all of his chickens are from 6 months to 5 years old. Only difference between my chickens and his is the free range some almost everyday(like I said not laying anywhere else) and I deworm periodically which I’ve always did that’s. I’m just at the point of not keeping chickens anymore because they are costing to much money with basically getting barley any eggs. My new chickens that just started laying about a months ago also are starting to not lay when it rains, it’s windy or cloudy like the other chickens. I have put camras around the coop. Nothing tries to get in . Ive tried vitamins. I’ve invested so much time and money and these chickens and I’m at the point of just giving up and getting rid of all of them because they are just costing me at this point unless I can find a solution. Any help would be great

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I'm sorry you're having such difficulties with your chickens

I know you're pretty convinced that the chickens are not laying outside - but is it possible for you to lock them up a week anyways just to be absolutely sure?

My second thought is that you might have an egg eater on your hands. One of the older birds perhaps. Have you seen any evidence in the nest box of broken eggs? Or on the cameras?

You said your neighbor uses the same feed, so that's probably not it. What does your coop look like? Are they getting enough light? Chickens need at least 14 hours a day to start laying. If they're not let out of a closed coop early enough that can quickly become a factor toward poor egg production.

 

[Icantthinkofausername]

I have left them locked a couple times still nothing. When I say I’m watching them when I let them free range I’m literally right there with them and there isn’t places they can sneak off and hide without me noticing and they don’t go far from me. Where they are it’s a literal open field(the grass is always cut short). Nothing on the camera on the nesting box other than them hopping in and out the box every once in a while. No footage of them eating eggs once I do catch them laying on camera. They never lay on the ground in the coop when they do lay it’s in the boxes. I can confirm all that because of the cameras. I had countless chickens in my lifetime and never seen anything like this. My neighbor is floored as well. I’ve literally covered all my bases with these birds

 

[Icantthinkofausername]

I also let them out to their run every morning at 6am before I go to work. But again literally nothing has changed much in routine in which I do things for them. I had countless birds before them and did the same exact thing and they had zero problems producing eggs. Oh yeah no snakes on camera either.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Alright so we've ruled out some things. Have you checked them for mites or other external parasites? Do poops look normal? Are the combs nice and full as they should be?

 

[Icantthinkofausername]

Yup mite free. Almost all of them have big bright red combs except 1

 

[Icantthinkofausername]

Yup mite free. Almost all of them have big bright red combs except 1

Stool also is firm