chickens not laying eggs...

[All4Eggz]

Just out of curiosity, are you feeding a commercial chicken feed, or are you feeding a feed you make yourself? If so, can you list every ingredient in the feed? How much do you feed them morning and night as well.
I agree with the others as to why the sudden drop in production may occur, hopefully you can get the egg count up again soon!

it's all from tsc.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-whole-corn-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
and https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-scratch-grain-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
sometimes https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-premium-5-grain-scratch-30-lb?cm_vc=-10005 or https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purinascratch-grain-sunfresh-recipe-25-lb?cm_vc=-10005

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...r-chicken-feed-40-lb-3005205-205?cm_vc=-10005
and
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/manna-pro-oyster-shell-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

 

[All4Eggz]

it's all from tsc.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-whole-corn-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
and https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-scratch-grain-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
sometimes https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-premium-5-grain-scratch-30-lb?cm_vc=-10005 or https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purinascratch-grain-sunfresh-recipe-25-lb?cm_vc=-10005

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...r-chicken-feed-40-lb-3005205-205?cm_vc=-10005
and
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/manna-pro-oyster-shell-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

So in the morning, we feed 1 bowl of each feed; (the cup/bowl is about the size of a normal cereal bowl) so 1 bowl of mixed grain, 1 bowl of whole corn, 1 bowl of pellets, and then the big bucket of food scraps in the morning. In the evening, SOMETIMES, we feed just like a handful of each, sometimes less sometimes more.

 

[jus10inla]

Mine are on a break now from heat & rain. Hate to tell ya but cut back on some customers for a couple weeks. i never expect more than 50-75% ratio of hens to eggs daily . U expect Any more than that you will be very disappointed

 

[Weeg]

it's all from tsc.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-whole-corn-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
and https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-scratch-grain-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005
sometimes https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-premium-5-grain-scratch-30-lb?cm_vc=-10005 or https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purinascratch-grain-sunfresh-recipe-25-lb?cm_vc=-10005

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...r-chicken-feed-40-lb-3005205-205?cm_vc=-10005
and
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/manna-pro-oyster-shell-50-lb?cm_vc=-10005

So you don't feed a commercial chicken feed? Just scratch grains and corn? This isn't a good diet for chickens. A solely free range diet can be doable with the right acreage, but those grains and corn are probably just diluting the nutrients you birds are getting from free ranging. How many acres do you have per bird? About 1 acre per bird would make the free range doable IMO.
If you have enough acreage, you can teach chicks to rely on the land to feed themselves, but adult birds would be more difficult. I highly suggest you switch them to a commercial chicken feed with all the nutrients they need.
Not sure if this would cause a drop in egg production if you've been feeding them this their whole lives, but it will likely improve egg quality if you switch to a commercial feed.

 

[All4Eggz]

It might not be scaring them, but it might not be enough light. Chickens, day length and light intensity are very closely connected to egg laying.

Excessive heat will reduce laying.

OR - with a sudden drop in egg production I have often found that the chickens have a secret nest. They get a notion not to lay in the perfectly fine nests I have for them, but found a place they think is better. Go out and sit with them, until you hear the egg song, and see just where they are laying. People always say, "Oh no, not mine, I would see it...but they can be very good at hiding something nearly in plain sight.

But how old are they? Cause if you have had them a year, fall is coming, and so will the molt. It is a wee bit early for molting to be coming on, but it will definitely be here in a few weeks, and that will drastically cut down your daily production.

Also - what kind of chickens do you have?

Mrs K

I agree about the light. I hadn't thought of that. Would you recommend artificial lighting?

I think it's not hot enough to reduce laying.

The secret nest thing, it's possible. I've had it happen before when my chickens would fly out. But now we have netting over both runs to stop them. and after we let them out, we watch them, so most likely, that's not it.

Also about the molting, that was one of my ideas too, but none of them are showing signs of it.

I have lots- and I mean lots- of different kinds:

Roosters:
Golden Sebright bantam
Barred Rock
Buff Cochin
Silver Duckwing OEGB
Golden Laced Wyandotte

Hens:
Barred Rocks
Golden Sebright bantam
Blue cochin bantam
Black cochin bantam
Golden Laced Wyandotte
Black Sex Link
Maran
Crevecoeur
Lakenvelder
White Crested Black Polish
Black Jersey Giant
White Leghorn
White Silkie
Buff Cochin
Black Breasted Red OEG
Ardenner {Ardennaise}

 

[All4Eggz]

So you don't feed a commercial chicken feed? Just scratch grains and corn? This isn't a good diet for chickens. A solely free range diet can be doable with the right acreage, but those grains and corn are probably just diluting the nutrients you birds are getting from free ranging. How many acres do you have per bird? About 1 acre per bird would make the free range doable IMO.
If you have enough acreage, you can teach chicks to rely on the land to feed themselves, but adult birds would be more difficult. I highly suggest you switch them to a commercial chicken feed with all the nutrients they need.
Not sure if this would cause a drop in egg production if you've been feeding them this their whole lives, but it will likely improve egg quality if you switch to a commercial feed.

It is commercial feed. The flock layer pellets, the grains, the corn, and the calcium.

edit: forgot to answer about the acreage. We definitely DO NOT have the acreage for 1 acre per bird. Not even half of that. I know it's not ideal, but we cant get our hands on more land at the moment.

however, their run is much bigger than it should be .. if that helps at all

 

[jus10inla]

So u have 16 hens and get 10 eggs a day? Id call that great!

 

[All4Eggz]

Mine are on a break now from heat & rain. Hate to tell ya but cut back on some customers for a couple weeks. i never expect more than 50-75% ratio of hens to eggs daily . U expect Any more than that you will be very disappointed

I don't expect it, but I'm just saying we've had MUCH better egg results (almost 2 dozen DAILY), and it just gradually lowered.

About the customers, there is only 2, thankfully but they both ask at least 1 dozen every time ..

 

[All4Eggz]

So u have 16 hens and get 10 eggs a day? Id call that great!

No, I have about 27 hens.

 

[All4Eggz]

And @jus10inla, yes, that would be great.. if it was the case.