Gamecock Apiaries
In the Brooder
- Oct 9, 2017
- 9
- 30
- 34
I am having a problem with my chickens laying. I live in the Murfreesboro, TN area. I have over 40 hens/pullets. Most of the pullets should be hens by now. I have always had a slow down in Jun through Oct.
But this year is different. I started out with 4 hens from last year laying almost daily. I purchased chicks Oct of 2016, and several times this year up through around April. Many in April were already at least 4-6 weeks old. I also have a roo that was supposed to have been a pullet.
As the pullets started to lay he would jump on them along with other hens. I was getting 12-13 eggs a day. May: 355, June:162, July: 92 Aug:71 Sept:15 and Oct:0. August and the first part of Sept I was getting 2+ eggs/day. They it quickly dropped off to 1 or 2 one day and 0 the next. To the point I no longer get any eggs.
Almost every one of these birds should be laying now. They are free range and eat all day long. I quit feeding layer pellets because it wasn't working. They dynamics of the flock has changed drastically. The hens range all over the place. They rooster no longer is interested in the hens and almost always is by himself. When I throw out scraps, he is now "everyone for him/herself". No longer letting the hens know where to get the best scraps or scratch. In fact, he will peck at them just like the hens do to each other when I feed them.
In June I put a large fan in the coop to keep it cooler. They have several places to get water.
Can anyone help me? I am at a loss as to what to do and a large loss financially. Is it time to give up and start selling chickens for meat and eating them myself?
But this year is different. I started out with 4 hens from last year laying almost daily. I purchased chicks Oct of 2016, and several times this year up through around April. Many in April were already at least 4-6 weeks old. I also have a roo that was supposed to have been a pullet.
As the pullets started to lay he would jump on them along with other hens. I was getting 12-13 eggs a day. May: 355, June:162, July: 92 Aug:71 Sept:15 and Oct:0. August and the first part of Sept I was getting 2+ eggs/day. They it quickly dropped off to 1 or 2 one day and 0 the next. To the point I no longer get any eggs.
Almost every one of these birds should be laying now. They are free range and eat all day long. I quit feeding layer pellets because it wasn't working. They dynamics of the flock has changed drastically. The hens range all over the place. They rooster no longer is interested in the hens and almost always is by himself. When I throw out scraps, he is now "everyone for him/herself". No longer letting the hens know where to get the best scraps or scratch. In fact, he will peck at them just like the hens do to each other when I feed them.
In June I put a large fan in the coop to keep it cooler. They have several places to get water.
Can anyone help me? I am at a loss as to what to do and a large loss financially. Is it time to give up and start selling chickens for meat and eating them myself?