Chickens laying less eggs & laying shell-less eggs on roost at night?

[hectikhomestead]

For the last month or so, we’ve slowly been getting less & less eggs. We were getting about 10-12 a day. Weather hasn’t changed much here in the last month, we have no predators that are stealing them…At first when they started becoming less, I found a couple small hidden nests & thought they could just be hiding them really well. ( we free range, but have tried keeping them in the coop & run, but it didn’t change the outcome in number of eggs). At THIS point we have only been getting 2-4 eggs a day. I have looked just about everywhere & there’s no where they could be laying them. So I wasn’t sure what could be going on, our chickens free range, and get scraps, and we feed them a highly nutrient rich feed, so I don’t really understand it being a deficiency or anything. And from what I’ve learned, when chickens are molting, they shouldn’t STOP laying if they are healthy. They may slow down, but not stop. So idk, about 2 weeks ago, when I was locking up the flock I stared at one of my hens on the roost, because she just looked kind of funny. Constipated? Lol. I was thinking egg bound, she looked REALLY uncomfy. But I watched her lay a rubber egg?! It fell to the roost floor & popped, & SEVERAL chickens, as if it had happened before, all jumped off the roost & fought over the exploded egg. And since that night, I have watched this happen once more, & my sister has also seen it happen once when locked up the flock! Why would they wait to roost to lay?? & why are they laying rubber eggs? Are they molting? Is it a deficiency..? I’m just trying to understand why we went from 10-12 eggs, to like 2-4 in less than a month. No change in feed or anything either! Thanks ahead of time

 

[SueT]

Chickens do stop laying when they are molting. They do slow down and even stop when days get shorter. It is the length of day, not the temperature that regulates this. That is completely normal. I am getting 1-2 eggs a day from 10 hens, and they will stop completely for the winter.
Getting shell-less eggs occasionally is okay, within normal range. When there is no shell, they can’t feel it coming out, they can’t push it easily.
Are you giving them oyster shell? That’s a calcium supplement that may prevent shell-less eggs.
Also what kind of feed are they getting? Layer feed? All flock?

BTW WELCOME TO BYC!

 

[rosemarythyme]

And from what I’ve learned, when chickens are molting, they shouldn’t STOP laying if they are healthy. They may slow down, but not stop.

I have never had a single bird lay during molt or after fall molt, until daylight hours begin lengthening again.

If you want eggs year round then you'll need to add new layers to the flock every 12-18 months or so.

 

[Bananabread]

I'd also consider checking for mites and any other pests that may disrupting their well-being

 

[rosemarythyme]

Too late to amend my original statement, but after thinking about it this morning actually I did have 1 bird lay last year after molt and before winter solstice. It only lasted about 2 weeks and then she shut off again until spring. Gave me just enough eggs that I made it back to laying season with 4-5 eggs remaining from all the ones I'd saved up in fall, whew.