Decrease in Egg Quantity and Quality

[Smiles18_]

My hens have started laying inconsistently and one has stopped all together. I noticed that one of their combs has shrunk and gone back to a pink color. I have also noticed that there have been a few egg deformities such as speckling and a couple eggs with excess calcium such as a ridge (wouldn't say it's corrugated, cause it isn't on the whole egg). I am wondering if they are overcrowded, but I only have 9 hens and we often let them range in the yard (1 acre). The neighbor has about 15 chickens including two roosters and sometimes they come into our yard. Could this cause them to be stressed?

I haven't changed their bedding a while, but we change the water every few days and have recently added vinegar cause we noticed a little bit of green buildup in the waterer. We started a wormer drop in their water last week and have changed their feed a few times with different high protein layer feeds, and we also added oyster shells since I originally thought there might be a calcium deficiency due to a soft shelled egg and another slab sided one, but so far nothing has made a significant difference.

They don't seem to be having trouble breathing or eating at all, they are generally nice to each other within the flock and none of them are showing signs of aggressive pecking or bullying (no missing feathers or bloody anything). They are a mix of orpingtons, australorps, one EE, and one golden sex link, so they are all generally well mannered breeds as far as I know. However, I have noticed that near one of our fruit trees they sometimes squawk and fly/run away as if a bee is bugging them.

Does anyone have any recommendations? All the hens are around 7 months old and had started laying regularly before these issues occurred so I am fairly confident it isn't age or molting related. The problems started occurring frequently about a month ago so I have tried changing one or two small things at a time. Next, I am considering locking them in the coop for a week (it is fairly large at about 75 sqft, but 9 hens might be a cram) and changing the bedding completely to see if it is some external factor.

 

[Eggcessive]

I doubt if they need to be locked in the coop 24/7 at this time, since it may be very hot still, and cause more stress. Have you ever seen any frequent sneezing that might have been a slight case of infectious bronchitis virus? If not, the egg shell problems may be due to stress. Are they getting a balanced layer feed, and very limited treats? Are they taking the crushed oyster shell? Check them over on their skin for lice or mites, parting the feathers under the belly, vent, and elsewhere. Mites can cause anemia and pale combs. Here is a good link with pictures and possible explanation for egg shell problems, and you will see that stress or infectious bronchitis can cause many of them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[HollowOfWisps]

You said they are 7 months old? For how long were they laying prior?

 

[Smiles18_]

I doubt if they need to be locked in the coop 24/7 at this time, since it may be very hot still, and cause more stress. Have you ever seen any frequent sneezing that might have been a slight case of infectious bronchitis virus? If not, the egg shell problems may be due to stress. Are they getting a balanced layer feed, and very limited treats? Are they taking the crushed oyster shell? Check them over on their skin for lice or mites, parting the feathers under the belly, vent, and elsewhere. Mites can cause anemia and pale combs. Here is a good link with pictures and possible explanation for egg shell problems, and you will see that stress or infectious bronchitis can cause many of them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

I haven't ever noticed sneezing or other respiratory symptoms. I was wondering if it was bronchitis since four of the neighbors chickens passed away over the span of about a month. The neighbors were hatched at home and I was wondering if they could have spread disease to ours? If so, could this cause them to permanently have egg laying issues, or is it something they should recover from given a couple of months?

I haven't checked for lice or mites, so I will do that today. I don't let them have many treats, but they are taking the shells with their feed and I have tried the different high protein layer feeds from IFA and Cal Ranch so I assume those are nutritionally balanced. Could they be snacking too much during free ranging that it is causing some kind of imbalance? The one consistent egg defect now is a body checked egg from our golden sex link.

I don't know what else could be stressing them because this is my first flock, and they seem like happy calm birds to me. The city did put a new light up that has made it brighter during the nights, but that was done about a couple of weeks after the egg problems began.

 

[Smiles18_]

most of them started between 4 and 5 months, so I would say about a month of regular laying

You said they are 7 months old? For how long were they laying prior?

 

[Smiles18_]

I haven't ever noticed sneezing or other respiratory symptoms. I was wondering if it was bronchitis since four of the neighbors chickens passed away over the span of about a month. The neighbors were hatched at home and I was wondering if they could have spread disease to ours? If so, could this cause them to permanently have egg laying issues, or is it something they should recover from given a couple of months?

I haven't checked for lice or mites, so I will do that today. I don't let them have many treats, but they are taking the shells with their feed and I have tried the different high protein layer feeds from IFA and Cal Ranch so I assume those are nutritionally balanced. Could they be snacking too much during free ranging that it is causing some kind of imbalance? The one consistent egg defect now is a body checked egg from our golden sex link.

I don't know what else could be stressing them because this is my first flock, and they seem like happy calm birds to me. The city did put a new light up that has made it brighter during the nights, but that was done about a couple of weeks after the egg problems began.

Update: The one orpington whose comb went pink passed away this evening. There were no signs of any lice or mites on her or the other hens we checked. She had a little bit of pus in her nose when I found her but I never saw it before and I have no idea how long she was dead before I found her. None of the hens seem to have issues breathing and there is no sneezing or coughing or discharge of any sort

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. What is your location? Keep her body refrigerated and call your state in the morning. They can diagnose most medical problems. What state are you in? Keep the body cold to take or send in for a neceopsy. Here is a list of states vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html