Chickens have stopped laying????

momof3babygirls

In the Brooder
9 Years
Feb 11, 2010
22
3
24
Zirconia
Ok I have a delima. Last week my hubby was in the hospital, and I had thelady that normally takes care of my chickens while I'm out of town do it last week for me. She called me and told me she was finding fewer and fewer eggs each day. I got home and now I'm getting like 6 eggs from 113 hens. There is no holes in the fence, the electricity is still working, and our Gr. Pier is still there. I know it's not a water problem. I have a goat feeder attached to the wall with a float valve, so they always have fresh water. The food, I have 3 40# feeders hanging that always have food in them, I never let them get empty. We throw the grass that we mow in there with them also. They get our cutting from the left over from the fresh veggies and fruit. They have oyster shells in s smaller feeder it they want it. I'm stumped. Can anyone help with this? Thankyou for your input.
 
They are 2 yrs old. I've never given grit, with them having the open ground in the woods I didn't think they needed it. We turned our horse pasture into their pasture. We just put up chain link fence with electric around the outside and top of it. They molted early Feb. I was getting 110 eggs a day, now with in 2 weeks only about 6 a day.
 
OK, Here is one nobody has thought of. Are they TOO FAT ???? You said they have feed ALL the time. Thats not good. they will just want to go to the feeder instead of getting out and free ranging and scrarching ( good exercise) Last week I read in Backyard Poultry (April/May,2010) page 33-34. That a good laying chicken can NOT be fat !!
Then three days ago My landlord had some friends over from the Philipines. One of them was a Veterinarian who had his own chickens. we got talking and I told him one of my RIR's and one of my white leghorns had quit laying. Hadn't laid in almost two weeks. he took one look at my leghorn and told me she was TOO FAT. to cut her food down (diet) and make her scratch more for food. He said DON'T leave food in their feeders. just put out enough for them to eat for that day. So I have stopped putting food in their feeders. I now throw out several handsfull to them everyday. We will see what happens. I started watching my leghorn and she would run to the feeder outside FIRST before going out to scratch.

I know that will be a little harder for you with the size flock you have.
 

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