Chickens not laying

[Gamecock Apiaries]

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?

 

[Kiki]

What are you feeding them?
Can you collect some fresh poop and run it to a vets office to have it checked for worms?

 

[rjohns39]

I'm also wondering what breeds are in play and where they came from.

 

[Gamecock Apiaries]

What are you feeding them?
Can you collect some fresh poop and run it to a vets office to have it checked for worms?

I was feeding them layer pellets on every other day some scratch. I have mixed DE in their feed in the past but haven't done it in quite a while. I will have to ask my vet about checking the droppings for worms. For me to give them DE, I will have to purchase some of the feed (pellets and/or scratch).

 

[Kiki]

Drop the scratch out completely.
Feed only the layer pellets/crumbles.

Check them real good at night with a flash light for mites too.

DE is worthless...it will not prevent worms or get rid of mites...so trash it.

 

[Gamecock Apiaries]

I'm also wondering what breeds are in play and where they came from.

Red Sexlinks, Black Sexlinks, Alustrop (sp?), Americana, a couple I don't remember their breeds, and supposedly a few KoKo Marans (sp?). These Marans are grey and white checkered, but I was told on different occasions when I purchased the chicks, they were of this breed.

 

[rjohns39]

Drop the scratch out completely.
Feed only the layer pellets/crumbles.

Check them real good at night with a flash light for mites too.

DE is worthless...it will not prevent worms or get rid of mites...so trash it.

X2 Scratch dilutes the vitamins and protein in feed.

 

[Kiki]

You have good egg laying breeds.

I bet they have mites and or lice and or worms.
Any of those will lower if not stop their egg production.

Permethrin based spraying the coop and each bird will take care of the bugs if you find some.

Get them checked tonight.

 

[Gamecock Apiaries]

Drop the scratch out completely.
Feed only the layer pellets/crumbles.

Check them real good at night with a flash light for mites too.

DE is worthless...it will not prevent worms or get rid of mites...so trash it.

Thanks, but I have to disagree with you on the mites for sure. I am a whole seller of PermaGuard FSF DE. I have put it on my animals. My previous Great Pyrenees was being treated with DE on his coat. When we got him saved you should have seen all of the dead and dried up ticks on his skin.

I am asking for help and don't want to offend others here, but my knowledge and experience with DE may be different than yours.

 

[Kiki]

Thanks, but I have to disagree with you on the mites for sure. I am a whole seller of PermaGuard FSF DE. I have put it on my animals. My previous Great Pyrenees was being treated with DE on his coat. When we got him saved you should have seen all of the dead and dried up ticks on his skin.

I am asking for help and don't want to offend others here, but my knowledge and experience with DE may be different than yours.

You can't offend me, no worries.

I have seen many many people here on BYC try DE only for it to fail on their birds.
Be careful with it on the birds it does a number on their skin.
It WILL not work even with the slightest amount of dampness in the air and it is almost impossible to get it in the cracks of a coop where the MITES live.